


Cerulean Feathers

by EchoingHowls



Category: Banana Bus Squad, The Misfits (Podcast)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Angst, Blood and Violence, Breakups, Broken Heart, Dark, Drug Dealing, Drugs, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Gore, Human Trafficking, I love cliffhangers, Intense, Lots and Lots of Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Trafficking, Sorry Not Sorry, Whodunnit, minor fluff to distract from the angst, not a very happy ending, pain and suffering, rating hovering over explicit, slow burn?, talk about cliche, the slowest burn, they're gangsters can't expect much, using flashbacks for character development
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2019-07-02 06:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 52
Words: 74,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15790968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoingHowls/pseuds/EchoingHowls
Summary: An Omega is thrown to the streets, where he raises himself until he catches someone's eye.As he is shown a life and world he has only seen glimpses of, a tattered heart attempts to heal itself.However, a shadowy threat lies in the blood of the operation and seems to be poisoning the water supply.How long until those who are trusted become the greatest threats?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Just a quick note to explain this universe (because I wanted it to be clear)  
> This is an Alpha/Omega universe, where the Alphas have horns/antlers and Omegas have wings.  
> Betas have neither.  
> Alphas and Omegas also have unique traits that you’ll learn about throughout the story.
> 
> Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Rain pattered gently on the city, the sky a darkening gray as a hidden sun dipped into its evening position.

Couples were walking with umbrellas up and jackets close as they hurried home from work.

Teens who had discovered their second gender after feeling a sharp ache in their shoulders or head were excitedly texting friends as they watched the rain drip down their bedroom windows.

Children splashed around puddles flapping invisible wings or fighting with invisible horns.

The city lights began to flicker on as the sky grew darker, the neon lights casting blinding orange onto a figure in the street.

The sidewalks grew more empty and cars became rare as the night began her descent.

Assorted music played in each building as the figure strolled past, only illuminated by the flashing blue and red signs as they quickened their pace.

Graffiti was scrawled across the sides of buildings, partially hidden by the shadows the flashy advertisements refused to illuminate.

The small jacket the figure had thrown over their shoulders slipped, and for a fraction of a moment, small blue wings could be seen before the jacket was repositioned and the figure dashed off.

The screams and yells of the argument mere 20 minutes prior still ricocheted loudly in their head, the images of their parents throwing their belongings to the ground before kicking them to the streets.

All because he had forgotten to dump the trash.

All because he was an Omega.

A male Omega.

Fresh tears streamed his cheeks, mixing with the rain before it was obvious of his distress.

His small wings were still sore and patchy, having it been almost 3 months since his wings first pushed through the skin on his shoulder blades.

He had had his best friend then, who told him the best ways to get away with being an Omega.

His lucky son-of-a-bitch _Alpha_ friend.

Then he just _had_ to develop feelings for him, making his wings grow quicker.

He had wings the size of someone who had them for 6 months and only a broken heart to prove it.

But that didn't matter now.

Now he was done.

He didn't need his stupid family anyway.

Or his stupid crush.

Or his stupid best friend.

Or his stupid heart.

He would fend for himself, even if it meant the death of him.

And it probably would.

Wiping as much of the tears and rain out of his eyes as he could with his jacket, the teenager turned into an alleyway and managed to find a box.

He set the box up and managed to curl inside, grateful for his slim stature for once.

Looking out at the rain that battered the cement, neon signs glinting falsely, he grimaced.

This was the start of a terrible fucking life.


	2. Chapter 1

"Nobody move and nobody gets hurt."

The small gas station that had previously been drowsily running now snapped to attention as a man wearing a hockey mask and gray jacket stood in the doorway with a pistol in hand and gazelle antlers lowered slightly.

When no one moved, the man took quick strides toward the cash register, snapping,

"Give me all the money."

As the single Beta employee shakily began handing the stacks of cash to the man, the man swept armfuls into a large sack onto the ground.

Sirens wailed in the distance, and the man froze, looking at the 3 people in the store to see a mom covering her child with red-brown wings and a phone to her ear.

He sighed angrily, grabbing handfuls of whatever food he could find nearby before taking off out of the store.

He may not have gotten all the cash from the register, but he knew he'd have enough food to survive the month.

Running was not faster than a police car, which was why the man saw the flashing red and blue lights grow nearer.

However, the man knew these streets like the back of his hand, having lived there for 2 years.

So, after a bit of weaving and slipping through cracks, the man slid the bag under a rotting door and crawled inside after it, disappearing from view as the sirens passed a few minutes later.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Lucky again.

Turning toward his makeshift house inside the abandoned building, the man took the mask and false horns off, shaking his head to let his lengthy black hair fall into his eyes.

"Looks like it's time for another haircut, Jon"

He said to himself, his voice echoing slightly off the moldy room.

Picking up a shard of glass from the floor, he walked to the bathroom and stared at his splintered reflection. Using the broken mirror to the best of his abilities, he maneuvered the shard of glass around his hair and fingers, slicing black strands just enough to see again.

When he finished, black hair different lengths but close enough, he stumbled back toward his mattress.

He took off his small gray jacket, letting his blue jay wings loose. They stretched, tingling as the blood began to flow through them again.

"Another day, another fight."

He sighed, lying down on his back and staring at the broken ceiling fan above him; trying not to think about how hot and humid the building was.

There was a rustle by the broken wall entrance, and Jon sat bolt upright.

His blue jay wings twitched anxiously as he stayed as still as possible on his bed, only lifting curiously when a paper fell through the hole.

There was another rustle, and then footsteps lead away.

Jon slowly got up from his bed and toward the piece of paper, picking it up when he neared it.

It read:

 

_  
Hello._

_We've been watching you for the past year expecting you to not last very long._

_Looks like we were wrong._

_If you are interested, we are willing to offer you a job._

_I will not lie, this job can put you in dangerous situations that can end in death if done wrong._

_So, I understand if you decline._

_However, how long can you last on rainwater and chips?_

_Meet me on the corner of Mallard and Doe at 10 am tomorrow if you wish to take this offer._

_-V_

__

 

Jon stared at the paper in shock.

Watching me?

A job?

He looked around at his house, scanning every crack and crevasse, partially expecting a camera to be there.

Nothing.

He turned back to the paper and read it again before sighing.

Whoever "V" was, was right.

He couldn't live off chips and water forever.

Besides, he stopped caring if he lived or died a long time ago.

Nobody would miss him.

So, why not?

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right I'm back!  
> Not sure how long I'll wait until I post the next chapter, but I DO know it will be soon.  
> (Like 1-3 days soon)  
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy this fic!


	3. Chapter 2

_  
The sidewalks were empty._

_Neon lights were flashing brightly, reflecting off puddles that littered the road._

_Hands were dragging Jonathan out of his room, away from the book he had been trying to read._

_"What did we do wrong?"_

_A voice screamed. He knew it was supposed to be his mom, but it was so warped and ruined it wasn't much of anything._

_He was thrown in the air, landing hard on his back as the door was slammed in front of him._

_Car lights glared angrily at the boy in the street as the beast roared closer, the teen barely able to scramble to his feet and out of the way before the car trampled where he had been._

_Jon stood on the sidewalk, shaking. Across the street, he saw him._

_His perfect Alpha._

_He was just standing there, staring at Jonathan with the same sneer from that day._

_"Please..."_

_Jonathan pleaded, running toward him. The Alpha scoffed, pulling a gun from somewhere and pointing it at Jonathan._

_The Omega froze, staring down the barrel._

_"You're so pathetic."_

_He growled before pulling the trigger._

_Everything went black as azure feathers floated to the ground.  
_

 

Jon let out a yelp as he sat upright, the fear of the nightmare fading as quickly as the morning dew. Outside, he could hear a few cars rumbling across the street, muffled by the larger building between his house and the road. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms and wings. Then, he slowly stood, heading toward his bag of money and food to discover what breakfast would be that morning. After selecting a couple granola bars, he plopped back on his bed and began eating. He picked up the note from the day previous, reading it over again before swallowing his breakfast.

He wasn't sure what time it was, but he didn't want to be late for his first chance at a job.

So, he put on his false antlers (that he 100% did not steal from a kink shop) and forced his wings as close to his body before pulling on his small gray jacket. He secured his gun into his pants pocket, tucking it behind his jacket and out of sight. Then, after double checking his food and money was stashed in separate but secure places, he headed out.

As he was about to step through the crack in the wall, he spotted his hockey mask hanging on a broken windowsill. He paused, considering to bring it, then shook his head and stepped out.

No need for his mask if he was being a normal person for once.

As he walked the streets, he saw several antlered men and winged women, all looking rather bored as they strolled to work. Only a few people were in the air, flying with red, brown or black wings as they hurried to their job they were most likely late for.

The scents of individuals were lost against each other, but occasionally Jon would get a whiff of lemon or strawberries that would make him smile.

He always wondered what his own scent would be, but had never been able to figure out how to tell. His wings attempted to rustle themselves uncomfortably, impossible under the tight jacket.

_I guess that's what happens when an Omega raises himself._

The first time he went through his heat he had thought he had just gotten really sick and barricaded himself in the bathroom before everything went black. Then, he awoke to a starving belly and claw marks on the wood door. But his wings had finally healed from his plucking.

Now, whenever he feels his heat he does the same thing, stealing more food to gorge on before he is unable to think. Jonathan was torn from his thoughts as he was suddenly shoved to the ground, blinking in surprise before looking up. It was an Omega female.

"Oh my, I am so sorry! Please don't hurt me! I-I swear I'll never do it again!"

The woman's gray and black wings were trembling as she stared, terrified at Jonathan.

_Good, my antlers still look fine._

Standing slowly and brushing himself off, Jonathan glared at the Omega through narrowed eyes.

"Be more careful. The next Alpha might not leave you with just a warning."

The woman whimpered and nodded, to which Jonathan shoved past her again as he continued down the sidewalk. Jonathan watched the people around him, slipping into buildings and meeting with friends at cafés. Sighing, he checked the street signs to see how close he was to the meeting.

However, when he looked up the signs read _Mallard_ and _Doe_.

He had arrived.

-

Jonathan quickly did a scan of the people around him, trying to see if there was anyone visibly waiting for someone else.

The majority of people were waiting for the light to turn green to cross the street, but there was a group of Alphas that seemed to be scanning the area at a nearby coffee shop.

They wore black suits and were seated at a table, their heads swiveling to scan the faces of people who strolled past.

Maybe one of them was "V"?

As Jonathan took a step toward them, he felt a hand on his shoulder and froze before whipping around, seeing another Alpha standing behind him.

"Hey, you looking for V?"

The Alpha asked quietly, glancing at the other people around them to make sure they weren't heard.

The light turned green and people began crossing the road. They were losing their cover.

"Yeah, is that you?"

Jonathan answered quickly, glancing around at the fading group of people.

Nobody was paying them any mind.

Yet.

The Alpha's blue eyes narrowed slightly at the bustling people around them, then shook his head.

"No, but I work for him. Do you want to take the job?"

Jonathan blinked at the man as he locked his narrowed gaze on Jon. Something about him sent chills down Jonathan's spine.

"Yeah."

Jonathan said quietly, slouching his shoulder nonchalantly. The man didn't move, but another one appeared, except this one had...

...wings?

Jonathan did a double take on the man who was staring back at him, his eyes dark and wings dove gray.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit young for a job with the description 'death-causing'."

Jonathan grimaced at the Omega's words, then nodded.

"I'm sure."

The two nodded, and the Alpha turned around.

"Follow us."

They immediately began walking away from the shrinking crowd, and Jonathan hurried to catch up. He fell in step with the Omega behind the Alpha, trying to stay with them and not get swept into the crowd at the same time.

As Jon was looking around though, he noticed the Alphas from the café walking behind them, their gazes hidden behind sunglasses.

_That's never good._

He kept them in his peripheral as he pretended to scan the landscape, and they seemed to be doing the same.

_They're following us._


	4. Chapter 3

Glancing at the Alpha in front of him, Jonathan kept his stare forward.

If they were being followed, Jonathan didn't want them to lash out. So, as inconspicuous as possible, he nudged the Omega.

"We're being followed."

He mumbled, just loud enough to be heard over the surrounding people. The Omega hesitated a step, and Jon silently prayed the Alphas hadn't noticed.

"By who?"

The Omega asked, visibly holding back the urge to turn around.

_Stop being so easy to read! Haven't you been on the streets?_

Jonathan kept his thoughts to himself and followed a car with his eyes as it drove past, giving himself an excuse to look back at the Alphas.

"A herd of Alphas. Most of them are in suits, maybe all of them. I'm not sure."

The Omega paused a breath, then asked,

"They're all Alphas? No Omegas?"

Jonathan nodded. He was sure.

With a nod, the Omega took a few faster steps, walking alongside the Alpha in front of them.

"Tyler, we got company."

The Omega whispered, his gray wings twitching irritatedly. At first, Jonathan thought the Alpha, or Tyler, hadn't heard him, but then his eyes caught on an Omega flying past them, and Jonathan saw his piercing blue stare hover for a moment behind them before turning back around.

"The Canaries..."

Tyler growled under his breath, his shoulders stiffening the slightest bit.

"What do we do?"

The Omega asked quietly, glancing at the shrinking crowd around them.

People were vanishing into buildings, going to work and leaving the sidewalks almost barren.

If they wanted to hide, they had to do it fast.

Checking he still had his gun with a soft tap to his hip, Jonathan quickly scanned the buildings in his line of sight and took in where they were, realizing they were near the gas station he had robbed a few days ago.

Which means...

"Follow me."

Jonathan snapped as he darted in front of the Alpha.

He walked as quickly as he could around this building and then...

Jackpot! The alley he was looking for.

He hurried into it, glancing back to make sure the Alpha and Omega were following him before dashing deeper in.

He heard them running to catch up, and stopped.

When they turned the corner, he asked,

"Which direction do you prefer? North or south?"

South would take him back toward his house, but he had already come this far. Besides, maybe the meeting house was-

"North."

The Alpha answered, casting looks over his shoulder for the herd of Alphas.

Or...Canaries...whatever that was.

Jonathan nodded and hurried down the alleys that lead northward, away from his familiar path, but he had traversed these alleys long enough to know exactly where this alley lead.

This alley was like the highway, branching off into most of the other alleys, but you had to know which turns to take.

And, if you were quiet, it was surprisingly easy to lose people through them.

After Jonathan lead them through the maze of alleys, they came out in front of a skyscraper and Jonathan paused.

"Alright, I don't think they'll find us now. I usually lose people in that alley."

He turned back to Tyler and the Omega, seeing them stare at him in surprise.

Well, the Omega was surprised. Tyler was just staring at him.

"How did you know to bring us here?"

Tyler snapped, taking a step closer toward Jonathan.

Jon blinked and took a step back.

"W-what? I don't-"

"Don't lie to me. I know when people are lying."

Jonathan kept opening and closing his mouth, too shocked and confused to answer.

"T-take you where?"

He finally managed to say.

" **Answer my question**!"

Tyler snapped, his growl making Jonathan's body freeze.

"I didn't know! The alley ends here!"

The three of them were quiet for a long moment as Jon tried to calm himself down. He didn't know why he was breathing so hard, but the tingling in his wings was becoming more and more painful.

He hadn't worn his jacket this long before and they were out of blood.

How long until he would tell them he was an Omega?

Or how long until they found out?

Jonathan rolled his shoulder uncomfortably, trying to give his wings at least a little bit of blood, but it just made it worse.

Now he couldn't ignore the needles spreading through his wings and shoulders.

Finally, Tyler sighed.

"Whatever. Thank you for losing those dickheads."

They were quiet for a moment on the nearby desolate sidewalk, and eventually, the Omega glanced at Tyler, then back at Jonathan.

"This is your last chance. Are you sure you want to take this job? After this point, there's no backing out."

Jonathan blinked in surprise.

No backing out?

What, is he doing this until he dies?

Jonathan thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

Got nothing else to lose.

"I'm sure."

The Omega nodded with a smile.

"Great. The first thing you need to do is lose those fake antlers."

Jonathan felt his heart skip a beat as he stared in shock.

"W-what?"

Tyler groaned and rolled his eyes and the Omega scoffed.

"Did you think you could fool us? You're not even wearing any scent blockers."

Jonathan blinked for a moment, then asked slowly,

"Scent blockers?"

Tyler and the Omega just stared at Jonathan a moment before Tyler asked,

"How old are you?"

"19."

Tyler and the Omega glanced at each other before the Omega asked,

"How long have you been on the streets?"

"2 years."

Jonathan was confused. What did this have to do with his job?

Tyler sighed and shook his head, and the Omega frowned.

"Did you learn anything about your second gender in school?"

Jonathan tilted his head.

"They teach that in school? I thought it was something you just learned..."

Jonathan had a flashback to school, of his friend telling him his sister went through "heats" and that her wings would flap around when she was mad. He never told Jon about scent blockers.

Jonathan shook his head to clear the thought and looked up at Tyler.

"Does it matter? What does all this have to do with my job?"

He crossed his arms, hoping they wouldn't see his hesitation.

Memories were a weakness.

There was a pause before Tyler asked,

"What's your name?"

Jonathan paused, then figuring he was now apart of whatever this "job" was, answered.

"Jonathan."

The Alpha nodded and gestured to himself before the Omega.

"I'm Tyler, this is Ohm."

Ohm nodded in greeting, then said,

"Do you want to take your disguise off out here? I assume your wings are hurting, but if you're not comfortable then you can take them off in your room."

Jonathan was nodding slowly but lifted an eyebrow at the end.

"Room?"

Tyler nodded.

"This job is a full-time thing. You're going to be living with us now, so we can pick up your stuff later."

Then, turning to Ohm he said,

"Let's go inside."

Ohm nodded and the two crossed the street, Jonathan in tow. They walked toward the skyscraper and Jonathan realized that was why Tyler had gotten so mad at him.

He had led them right to their base.

As they walked inside, Jonathan realized the bottom floor was a garage, filled with expensive looking cars and vans. He stared at them as they got inside the elevator. Tyler hit a button and the doors closed, leaving Jonathan in the middle of them as the elevator began to rise.

When the doors opened again, the room was empty.

Well, there were several doors and a staircase that lead further up in front of them. Tyler and Ohm lead the way up the stairs and they came up to a large living room/ kitchen area.

There were several guys here, some Alphas and some Omegas, some sitting on couches watching tv and some eating a late breakfast. They all turned to look at Jonathan when he came up the stairs though.

The room fell silent and people watched him curiously. Jonathan did a quick scan of the room, surprised to not see anything that would give him a clue as to what this "job" was.

Nothing.

Finally, one Alpha said,

"Evan's in his office."

Tyler nodded a gratitude, then turned toward Ohm.

"You can stay here. I've got him."

Ohm paused, then shook his head.

"I think I should come too. I need to tell Evan that the kid doesn't know how to be an Omega."

Tyler shrugged, then turned left and began heading toward the kitchen. As Jonathan followed him though, he headed past the kitchen and down a hallway that had several doors. Tyler stopped at one and knocked.

A rough, "come in" sounded, and Tyler opened the door before motioning Jonathan inside.

Inside was very clearly an office, covered with papers and shelves, and a man seated behind a desk.

He looked up, and Jon saw his branching antlers. They seemed to be of some kind of elk, and they split off into such a powerful Alpha look.

Why were his wings suddenly eager to be free of his jacket?

"Tyler! I assume this is the kid?"

The Alpha stood up and walked toward Jonathan, looking him over as Tyler scoffed.

"Not much older than you, if anything you're both kids."

The Alpha chuckled, then held out his hand to Jonathan.

"My name is Evan. What's yours?"

"Jonathan."

They shook hands and Evan tilted his head.

"What's with the false antlers?"

Jon felt his face heat up, trying to hide his embarrassment with a blank expression. Ohm stepped forward.

"Actually sir, he doesn't seem to know much about his second gender."

Evan frowned in confusion and Tyler said,

"He doesn't know how to be an Omega. He doesn't even know what scent blockers are!"

Tyler had his sharp gaze on Jonathan, but there seemed to be a bit of worry in his eyes.

_Interesting. He does care about others, even if he acts cold._

Evan frowned, then stepped back.

"How old are you?"

"19."

"Living on the streets since he was 17."

Ohm added, glancing from Jon to Evan.

Evan nodded, then said,

"Ohm, I want you and the other Omegas to help Jonathan get settled in and with...Omega things."

Ohm nodded, and Evan smiled.

"Welcome to the BBS, Jonathan."


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that half of this chapter is a flashback, but it helps develop Jonathan's character a bit.  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

"Alright, here is your room."

Jonathan stepped inside the spacious room, with a real bed, dressers and a mirror, even his own bathroom.

It reminded him of his old room at his parent's house, but several times better.

"This...this is really nice."

Jonathan whispered, looking around the simple yet perfect room.

"I'm glad you think so, this is our last open room."

Ohm said with a chuckle, looking around the room as well.

Jonathan opened and closed drawers, poked his head in the bathroom to see an unbroken mirror, and running water; everything worked.

He plopped down on his bed, grateful to not feel every spring and tear like his old mattress.

"Well you seem happy,"

Ohm scoffed, sitting beside Jon.

Jonathan chuckled before sitting back up and looking around the room.

 _His_ room.

"I've never had a room this nice before."

Ohm side-glanced Jonathan, but didn't ask.

"You going to take off your jacket now?"

Jonathan paused, his wings had gone practically numb from the jacket, but he knew he needed to stretch them.

With a small nod, he managed to tear off the jacket and release his wings, throwing the false horns off his head. He stretched his wings, their blue feathers catching the light and tinting it cerulean.

"Wow, you've got some nice wings."

Ohm said with a smirk, winking at Jonathan when he turned around. Jon scoffed rolled his eyes, running his hand through his uneven hair.

"No, I've seen way cooler. Eagle, cardinal, dove,"

He gestured to Ohm's wings.

"But I've never seen another blue jay, which makes me a sore thumb."

Jonathan sat back down on the bed, resting his head in his hands.

"So what? Sore thumbs are the coolest! I've seen so many other doves that I wish I had wings like yours. Why would you want to blend in?"

~

Jonathan saw his friend, staring at him with soft eyes.

"You're an Omega? I thought only girls could be Omegas."

He paused, or maybe Jon forgot what he said. The scene morphed and his friend was there again.

"You plucked the feathers right? Your parents can't find out..."

Another scene change.

"What do you mean they're growing faster? That's impossible!"

Another.

"Your wings are bright blue! You're not going to be able to hide this forever!"

Another.

"Maybe we can dye them. I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind a kid with raven wings...even if you are a boy."

Another.

"How long?"

This time the setting settled. They were standing in the janitor's closet.

Their secret hideout.

" **Answer** me, Jonathan!"

The word sent a tingle down his spine, and he couldn't stop the truth.

"For a m-month."

His friend stared at him, the prick of his horns poking through his scalp. His dark eyes that were once soft now held anger.

"You've had a crush on me for a month? Jonathan no wonder your wings are growing faster! You've had fucking fantasies of me putting my dick in your ass!"

Jonathan was trembling, and his voice was forced mute in terror.

"Oh my fucking god, Jonathan are you serious? You're a fucking disgrace! Why would I _ever_ like you? You're an Omega, sure, but really? At least find a _female_ Alpha! No, wait, you have fucking weird-ass _blue_ wings, nobody could ever love you!"

Jonathan was frozen stiff in shock, tears slicing his cheeks.

"J-James, I-"

"Shut the fuck up, slut."

James snapped, shoving Jonathan away before stomping out of the closet and slamming the door.

That was the night he had decided to pluck all his feathers so that he wouldn't be such a disgrace.

A week later was the night his parents found the piles of blue feathers in the trash.

That was the night he was left on his own.

~

"Hey, hey Jonathan, you alright?"

Jonathan blinked and found himself curled up on his bed.

His soft, new bed.

His wings were wrapped around him and tears were flowing in a steady stream.

How long had he been crying?

"Jonathan! Can you hear me?"

This time Jon nodded numbly.

He heard Ohm sigh beside him before standing.

"I'll let you get settled."

Jon nodded again, letting his wings fall loosely. Ohm opened and closed the door gently, leaving Jonathan alone.

"He's had a rough time. I think we should leave him alone for a bit."

That was Ohm again, talking to someone on the other side of the door. Jon turned to watch the door, the warm wood still not moving as more voices spoke.

"Will he be able to help us on missions? We can't keep a useless part of the team."

That sounded like Tyler.

"I'm sure as he adjusts he'll be fine. Besides, he's as old as I was when I joined you guys."

Evan.

"Evan, you're only 21. You are barely old enough to go to a bar."

Tyler again.

"Doesn't mean he's so young he can't handle himself. Mini, you said you saw him with a gun?"

That was Evan again.

"Yeah, he robbed a gas station. A small one, but that means he's smart enough to not bite off more than he can chew. I think he'll make a great addition."

The conversation either ended, or everyone moved away from his door.

We're they talking about him?

That was a dumb question, of course they were.

And why did they care that he robbed a gas station?

Didn't that make him untrustworthy?

Jon sighed, forcing those thoughts away.

It didn't matter. Now, he could sleep. And on a real bed.

Jonathan crawled under his blankets, _(He had blankets!!)_ , and quickly drifted off to sleep.

His mind was filled with broken hearts and gunshots.


	6. Chapter 5

"Should we let him sleep?"

"I checked out his place, this kid hasn't slept on a real bed in years."

"He's probably exhausted, let's just leave him alone."

Jonathan blinked his eyes open, jumping when he saw the crowd of people around his bed.

"Great job. Now you woke him up."

"I did not!"

Jonathan quickly rubbed his eyes, looking at the people that were watching him curiously.

All of them were Omegas, with Ohm standing the closest to Jon.

"Good morning!"

He said cheerfully, smiling and sitting beside Jonathan.

"How'd you sleep?"

Asked one of the other Omegas. He had a mohawk and eagle wings, his green eyes bright and friendly.

"Um...good."

Jonathan said, smiling awkwardly.

"Great actually. Best sleep in years."

He admitted. All the Omegas brightened at his statement before Ohm cleared his throat.

"Jonathan, Evan asked us to help you get settled in, so let me introduce you to Brock,"

Ohm motioned to the Omega with the eagle wings who gave him a small wave.

"Craig, or Mini,"

The man nodded his greeting, his glasses glinting in the morning light as his pigeon wings shimmered with glints of blue and purple.

"And Smitty."

The last man tipped his propeller hat, his eyes hidden behind 3D glasses as his milky white dove wings rustled slightly. Matching bleached hair stuck out from beneath the hat.

"First thing's first,"

Ohm continued, turning back toward Jonathan.

"You're going to shower. I know it's been a while since you've had running water, so get cleaned up. We already got you a fresh change of clothes, and then we can go shopping for more later today. How's that sound?"

Jonathan blinked in disbelief, then asked,

"Really?"

Smitty scoffed.

"Of course really! You're part of our family now!"

"Now hurry, Brock made his special breakfast and all the Alphas will eat it if you don't."

Craig said with a smirk.

"I saved him a plate! He is eating some whether he likes it or not."

Brock snapped, giving Jonathan an excited grin.

"Well come on! Into the shower with you!"

Ohm said, pulling Jon from the blankets and toward the bathroom door.

"Okay! I'm going, I'm going!"

Jonathan laughed, stumbling into the bathroom before closing the door behind him. He managed to figure out how to turn the water in the tub on, although it took him a bit to figure out how to pull the plug and turn the showerhead on.

Then, he stripped the torn black t-shirt he had been wearing for years off, along with the ripped and ruined jeans. He laid his gun delicately on top. Shoes were the main thing he bought with the money he stole, so he did have a nicer pair of black and white Nikes that he took off and placed gently beside his pile of filthy clothes.

He turned and looked in the mirror, surprising himself at the fact the mirror wasn't cracked. He could also see for the first time how many of his ribs were visible, and how pale his skin was.

Was this how everyone else saw him?

He didn't look like he could blend into the crowd at all, he was clearly homeless...

And his wings...

Jonathan closed his eyes and turned away from the mirror.

He wasn't dealing with his reflection right now.

The small room heated up and grew more humid as the shower ran, covering Jon's reflection in fog as he finished changing and stepped into the shower.

When he finished and had a towel wrapped around his waist, Jonathan tentatively opened the bathroom door to make sure all the Omegas had left before stepping out and into his room. On the bed was the change of clothes they had mentioned, a white t-shirt and jeans, and with a small note on top of the neatly folded pile.

__  
When you're dressed, come downstairs.  
Time to go shopping!  
-Ohm  


Jonathan smiled, moving the note to start changing. Clearly, the clothes had been someone else's who had grown out of them, but Jonathan was grateful anyway.

He slipped the pants on, and when he put the shirt on, he gently fit his wings through the holes in the back.

There were new shoes too, but Jonathan wanted to keep something of his wardrobe and grabbed his Nikes from the bathroom before putting them on. Sure, they were worn down, but he had gotten them from his own hard work.

They were _legally_ his, even if the money had been stolen.

When he finished putting his shoes on, Jonathan stood to leave the room, pausing just outside the door.

He turned and walked back toward the bathroom, looking at the pile of dirty clothes where he had laid his pistol.

_Better safe than sorry._

He told himself, slipping the gun into the pants pockets and pulling the shirt over it.

Jonathan then headed downstairs, moving slowly to see if he could spot the Omegas before he reached the bottom.

He quickly found them and a few Alphas sitting at the table, playing a card game and laughing. Ohm was sitting with a bearded Alpha over his shoulder, who seemed a bit too intimidating for Jonathan to bother for Ohm's attention, so instead, he headed toward Smitty who was leaning against a wall watching the game go down.

"Hey, Jonathan"

Smitty said with a smile, using his wings to gently pull Jonathan in a sort-of hug. He didn't move off the wall though and nodded toward the card game.

"They're playing Uno. We'll leave when they finish this game."

Jonathan looked at the table again, right as a pronghorn-Alpha shouted,

"Uno!"

"No!"

Ohm yelped, looking around at the people sitting beside him.

"Can anyone do anything?"

The others sadly shook their heads as the last few cards were played and the Alpha put down his last card.

"Yes! I finally won!"

The Alpha leaped to his feet, raising his fist in the air as he let out a victorious whoop. The surrounding Alphas and Omegas let out annoyed sighs, pushing all the cards to the center to set up another game.

"Hey, Ohm, Jonathan's out."

Smitty called, trying to catch the Omega's attention before they started the next game. Ohm looked up and smiled at Jon before standing up.

"Right. Craig, Brock, let's go."

Craig dropped the cards in his hand with a frown, Brock waving goodbye to the Alpha that won the game.

"Wait, shouldn't you have an Alpha with you?"

Asked an Alpha from the couch. He got up, his dark skin accented by his ivory deer antlers.

"We'll be fine. If anything, the Alphas out there should be afraid of us."

Ohm said with a smirk. He pulled out a pocket knife from his respective pocket, before hiding it away again and leading the way down the stairs.

They got inside one of the vans, Brock driving to the mall.

When they got there, all the guys began dragging Jon to their favorite stores, shopping for themselves as well as trying to help the new Omega.

Admittedly, Jonathan had a blast.

Although shopping was perhaps more of a girl thing, Jonathan had never been able to buy his own clothes, and being able to choose his own style was freeing.

At the end of the day, he was able to find several changes of clothes, as well as a hoodie that matched his wings in coloration.

He loved it all.

As the group of laughing Omegas made their way back to the van with armfuls of clothes, Jonathan's new hoodie hanging loosely on his shoulders, the conversation paused as the topic previous ran out of things to be said. Jonathan saw this as the perfect moment to get some answers to some questions he'd had floating around his head all day.

"So, I know I'm part of this family-thing now, but what do we do? I was told I was being recruited for a job, but what is it?"

The Omega's smiles all fell as they looked around each other, Jonathan's blue eyes finding themselves on Ohm. With a sigh, the dove-wing began.

"We...we can't talk about it right now. I'll explain it in the van."

Jon frowned, but nodded anyway.

At least he'd get an answer.

The rest of the walk to the van was tense silence, a pebble finding its way in their path as Smitty kicked it away.

After piling the bags into the back and getting everyone settled, Ohm began as Brock pulled out of the parking lot.

"Jonathan, do you know much about gangs here in Los Santos?"

Jonathan was sitting next to Smitty in the back, with Ohm and Craig sitting in the row in front of them.

After the question though, Jonathan stiffened.

Living on the streets meant he knew of every crime that happened near or in the alleys around his home. He had seen and heard of the gangs around the area, but never names.

_Is he saying what I think?_

"Yeah..."

Jonathan breathed, watching Ohm carefully. Craig's wings twitched as he stared forward, and Smitty kept his eyes on the view outside the window beside him. Ohm frowned, his brown eyes darting to the window beside Jonathan before back on the younger Omega.

"We brought you with us because Mini saw you running from the cops about a year ago, not thinking much of it since you looked like an Alpha able to handle your own. We saw you several times since then, with weeks where you just seemed to disappear."

Ohm paused, and the car slowed to a stop at a red light.

"I...I got worried about you, and I brought Mini with me to see if we could find you. I had previously...followed you...and knew where your house was, but when we arrived you were still nowhere to be seen."

The light turned green and the van started forward again. Smitty had turned away from the window to look at Ohm as Craig now stared out the window beside him.

"We decided to wait a bit and see if you would come, but then-"

"Then I smelled an Omega in heat."

Craig finished, still staring out the window before sighing and turning toward Jonathan. He kept his eyes on the ground.

"We went inside and I could hear you whining in one of the rooms. Ohm realized you had locked yourself inside and decided we should leave you some food and water for when you finished."

Jonathan remembered opening the door and finding the bottles of water and bags of chips, but in his hazy mindstate, he thought he had been the one to leave them there.

_I'm so stupid._

"Since then, we've been keeping a sharper eye on you; mostly worried you'd get in a fight with an Alpha or taken while you were in heat. When Evan found out, he decided you'd be safer with us, even offering you a place in our ranks."

Craig looked up at Jonathan now, his gaze unreadable.

"Jonathan, if you want to know what we do, then I won't lie. We brought you here to protect you, so you deserve to know what we do for a living."

He paused, then taking a deep breath, said,

"We're a gang. The BBS."


	7. Chapter 6

Jonathan was speechless. Questions were flying through his mind faster than a distressed Omega, and he wasn't sure how many he actually wanted answers to.

How had he never noticed anyone watching him?

Were more people watching him that he wasn't aware of?

Heats had a specific smell?

What else did he not know about Omegas?

How long until they expected him to kill people?

"Now don't freak out on us,"

Smitty tried to joke, although when he reached out for Jonathan, he flinched away.

"How many?"

There was a pause as all the guys looked at each other before back to Jonathan.

"How many what?"

Ohm asked finally.

"How many people have you killed?"

Jonathan finally managed to say. Ohm scoffed.

"We only kill bad people. Like the Canary Gang. They're made entirely of Alphas and-"

"They're still people! People that have families and children, no matter how bad."

There was silence after the interruption, then Jon asked,

"How does your gang make their money?"

Ohm paused, then said,

"Well, several companies use our docks for shipping. However, we usually go through their supplies to see if they're actually shipping what they tell us. Sometimes it is the product, sometimes it's Omega trafficking, sometimes drugs, sometimes- ow!"

Ohm yelped after Craig slapped his arm, but Jonathan was already sick.

He didn't want to see the sick and injured Omegas, bound like animals. Hearing about it was bad enough.

He didn't want to be in a situation where killing was the only option.

They were in a gang.

 _He_ was in a gang.

They expected him to _kill_ people.

"Stop the car."

He whispered. When nobody said anything, he said louder,

"Stop the car."

"What? Why?"

Ohm asked, glancing at him curiously.

Still, Brock continued driving.

"Stop the car!"

Jonathan screamed, trying to force the vomit in his throat down and the tears in his eyes back. Finally, Brock slowed down and pulled onto the shoulder, putting the van in park before Jonathan forced the door unlocked and pulled the door open.

He didn't care about his new clothes.

He didn't care about them being nice.

He didn't care about them trying to protect him.

He just wanted to be as far away as possible.

"Jonathan, get back in the van, we're almost home and then you can talk to Evan."

Ohm said, stepping out as well. Jonathan turned to face him, feeling his wings open like they wanted to fly away.

But he never learned how.

Ohm had mentioned him and Mini flying, but their wings weren't open...maybe he could make a run for it?

"Jonathan, seriously. Let just talk about this-"

Jon turned and ran as fast as he could down the street, turning into the first alley he saw. He'd never been to this part of town, but maybe he could find another alley highway and get back to his old house.

Sure, they could protect him, give him a soft bed and a building that didn't burn in the summer and freeze in the winter, and some clean clothes and food, but not at the expense of someone else dying.

He ran faster.

"Jonathan! Come back!"

Ohm's shouts could be heard far behind him, but Jon wove through more turns until the Omega's voices faded into the distance. Jonathan slowed down, knowing the Omegas would be flying after him soon.

He had to find cover.

The buildings around him seemed newer, but...had he seen that graffiti before? Jonathan stared at the woman with wings, the feathers painted in hundreds of different colors. He knew that piece anywhere!

Jonathan took the next left, finding his alley highway and sprinting off.

He turned left, then right, and then he should be-

He came to a stop in front of his house, everything exactly as he left it.

_Oh, home sweet home!_

He was about to leap inside, but froze.

"They'll know I came back here."

He said under his breath, looking up and half expecting to see Ohm, Craig, and Smitty flying toward him. However, the skies were still empty.

"I have to go somewhere else..."

He realized, taking a few steps back before heading further south. He didn't know these alleys as well as the ones northward, but he knew he'd be able to find his way back home once he was sure he lost his frie-...the Omegas.

After taking a dizzying amount of turns, Jonathan came to a slow, his lungs heaving after he had been running as fast as he could.

Nearby, he spotted a broken door hanging off its hinges, leaving it open to the air.

_A new home?_

Slowly, Jonathan stepped into the building, seeing nothing but mold and rust.

_Perfect._

He thought with a smile. He crept into one of the rooms nearby, just in case Ohm happened to check inside, and collapsed against the wall. He wrapped his wings around himself, pulling his sky blue hoodie closer before lying his head on his knees and closing eyes.

He wanted to sleep.

He wanted his eyes to close and thoughts to drift off so he could leave his problems for later.

However, his mind had different plans.

They are a gang.

They kill people.

What would happen if he managed to get himself caught?

If they decided he knew too much, would he become a target?

Jonathan forced those thoughts away, and whenever they tried to come back he shoved them further.

Older memories resurfaced.

He could see James.

His old James.

The James that would tell him everything will be alright.

The James that would tell him his parents were stupid.

That James would stay with him.

But now that James was gone.

Gone somewhere else.

Gone with someone else.

Now Jonathan had no one.

No parents.

No James.

No Tyler.

No Ohm.

No Evan.

Jonathan choked on a sob, bringing him from his thoughts as he tried to breathe again before letting the tears flow.

He tried to fix the dam, but gave up.

He didn't care anymore.

He accepted his weakness.

Tears and sobs wracked his frail body until the world was just a blur.

He tightened his arms and wings around himself, hoping the extra pressure would soothe him.

He fell asleep with rivers down his cheeks.


	8. Chapter 7

"What do you mean you _lost_ him?"

Brock kept his gaze on the floor, Smitty staring at one of the bookcases like this office was the last place he wanted to be. Craig had his arms crossed, staring at Ohm angrily. Ohm seemed to be searching for the right things to say, occasionally looking at his fellow Omegas for help that they refused to offer.

"Well...we-"

"Ohm started blabbering about fucking drugs and Omega trafficking!"

Craig snapped, snapping his arms to his sides as he turned to face the other Omega.

Evan felt a shudder run through his body.

He hated talking about the dark side of their job.

The four of them had come into his office with drooping and tense wings, and a _very_ apparent lack of a new Omega.

Now, Ohm seemed to be the only one trying to come up with an excuse for his disappearance.

"Ohm, why would you bring that up?"

Evan asked exasperatedly, glaring at the Omegas in front of him.

Ohm looked up defensively, snapping,

"Jonathan asked what we do for this 'job'! I was telling him about the docks and it kind of...slipped out."

"Ohm, you know we never mention those things unless it's business related, let alone to a 1-day-old member of our team!"

Ohm hung his head, and his wings dropped further.

_He feels guilty._

Evan analyzed, realizing Ohm would be too lost in his mind to be much more help.

They had to find Jonathan.

Before anyone else did.

Turning toward Brock, Evan said calmly,

"Brock, do we know which direction he went?"

"South."

The man answered immediately, finally looking up from the ground.

"Let's send out a search party. The Canaries have been more active lately, and we need to make sure we are the first to find him."

"We've already looked everywhere. He's gone."

Mumbled Craig, looking solemnly at Evan.

"Then we'll look again."

All eight eyes turned to look at Evan, curiosity bubbling up in all of them.

He'll deal with that later.

"I want all of you to grab an Alpha and head out. Search each building you can get into, and check all the accessible rooms in any abandoned buildings you find. We'll find him."

The Omegas nodded, then headed out.

However, Brock stayed behind.

"Why are you so eager to find him? We can just wait until he reappears on our radar."

Evan blinked in surprise.

That was true, he knew they could've waited.

An Omega who didn't know what scent blockers were couldn't avoid them for forever. And the Canaries weren't exactly quiet about their whereabouts.

But, how much longer could he last without smelling that sweet vanilla and lavender again? Jonathan had smelled so sweet, yet his scent so faded from being homeless that it had taken him a moment to realize the details of his smell.

And he was so...innocent.

He could tell the Omega had been through some darkness, but in the depths of his oceanic eyes was the pure childlike curiosity.

So disconnected from the world and yet so eager to engulf it.

The light and purity of his blue eyes sucked Evan in, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to escape.

He hadn't had a chance to see Jonathan that morning, as he had stayed up late and woke up late. By the time he had come downstairs, the Omegas had already left.

And now...gone?

Just like that?

Evan refused.

"I know that look."

Brock chuckled, startling Evan from his thoughts.

"You're intrigued. You've found something new and want to learn more about it."

Evan blinked before nodding in agreement.

_Intrigued. That was the word._

Brock sighed.

"Alright. We'll find your Omega. But if anyone else asks, tell them we can't have him blabbing about where our base is."

Evan watched Brock step out of his office, probably to get Brian before searching. The Omega's words didn't process until a moment later.

"Hey! He isn't my-!"

Evan groaned, then shook his head.

He'd worry about that later.

Right now, he had to go help find Jonathan.

After leaving Scotty, Nogla, and Anthony, (the Betas) to watch the base, everyone set out South.

Alphas with Omegas, at least all except Evan.

He was the best at being a lone wolf.

He started at Jonathan's old house, taking Ohm's directions to the place before sending the Omega off with Luke.

He checked every room again, just to be sure, then stood outside, looking at the three directions that the surrounding alley split off.

North, South, and East.

North was back toward the base, and East lead out to the main roads.

_South it is._

He set off at a brisk pace, turning whichever way he felt pulled.

Occasionally, the alleys opened up to a split of buildings, but even after searching every building he could get inside, there was no sign of Jonathan.

_What did Ohm say? He was wearing a blue hoodie?_

Well, there was definitely no sign of anything blue. Sighing, Evan headed through one more turn of alleys. One of the buildings in this part had a broken door, and as Evan was walking closer to check the last building it hit him.

_Vanilla and Lavender._

Evan ran toward the house, nearly tripping over the door as he stopped in the main room.

"Jonathan?"

He called, pausing before turning into the first room on the right. His scent was growing stronger, and when Evan stepped into the room he saw the blue bundle huddled in the corner.

Blue jay wings wrapped around a blue hoodie.

"Jonathan?"

Evan took a few steps closer, placing a gentle hand on the exposed head.

"Jonathan, come on. Let's get you home."

The kid groaned, then lifted his head groggily. When he looked up and saw Evan, he jumped and pushed himself away.

"E-Evan!"

"Hey, relax. I'm here alone."

Evan soothed, taking a step back so the Omega could have his space.

Jonathan relaxed slightly, wrapping his jacket closer to him.

"Ok."

He sighed, glancing at Evan every few moments. Evan nodded, then sat down as well, still giving the Omega space.

"Want to talk about it?"

Jonathan seemed surprised by the question, but if Evan had learned anything from being a gang boss, it was that you should never bottle your feelings away.

Especially with friends.

Jonathan paused, then nodded. When he opened his mouth to speak though, another voice spoke.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we got ourselves a lost fawn."

Evan whipped around to see a herd of Alphas in front of the door, more slowly seeping into the building.

_The Canaries._

Slowly getting to his feet, Evan glared at the herd. The Alpha in front was smirking at Evan through narrowed eyes, his bull horns obviously sharpened to a point.

"What do you want?"

Evan demanded, holding his position.

"We just want that Omega behind you. Never seen wings like his before."

The Alpha shrugged like he believed Evan was just going to move out of the way.

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen."

Evan growled, glaring at the Alpha.

"Sir, that's the BBS leader."

Whispered one of the other Alphas to the man in front. This seemed to agitate the Alpha further and he took a step closer.

"What was your name? Vanoss? Looks like I'm just going to have to kill you for that Omega. Two birds one stone."

An angry heat flared in Evan's chest and he lowered his antlers aggressively.

"Leave Canaries. While I let you."

This triggered some snickers behind the lead Alpha before he shushed them with a hand.

"Vanoss, this isn't your fight. Besides, maybe you should know what you're getting yourself into before we duel."

Confused, Evan lifted his head to see the Alpha pulling one of his men forward out of the crowd.

"You see Vanoss,"

He purred, his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"We recently have discovered that with the right surgery, Alphas can also get wings."

The Alpha suddenly flared his wings open, a pair of simple finch wings.

Evan didn't need to ask how they had gotten them, he had seen the missing girl posters with the same wings.

"And with these wings,"

The Alpha continued, stepping toward the Alpha he had pulled forward.

"We are able to be much more efficient in our fighting."

His wings suddenly lurched toward the Alpha, smothering him before they flinched away and the lead Alpha impaled his man in the chest. Blood splattered onto Evan's face, and he had to force the bile back to his stomach. If he showed any weakness they'd end him swiftly, taking Jonathan away and doing who knows what with him.

_Take that back, I know exactly what they'd do to him. And I wish I could stop it from happening to anyone ever._

The impaled Alpha stared at the horn through his chest in terror before his eyes rolled back and he fell limp, sliding off the lead Alpha's horn in a heap.

"So Vanoss,"

The Alpha spat, turning his piercing stare to the elk-horn in front of him.

"What will it be? The Omega? Or your life?"

Fear tainted the vanilla and lavender scent, making Evan grit his teeth.

He wanted to run toward Jonathan and shield him from everything, but he knew that would end poorly for both of them.

_Sorry, Jonathan._

He cursed in his mind, not taking his eyes off the Alphas in front of him.

He slowly moved his right hand toward his left, finding the face of his watch and pressing it.

There was no way he could tell if it would work, but he had to hope.

"So? What's your answer?"

The Alpha asked, clearly growing impatient.

_Deep breaths._

Evan told himself, trying to calm his racing heart that was already pumping adrenaline.

Was his vision going red? He was pretty sure his vision was going red.

"I think you should back the fuck off."

Evan snapped, taking a threatening step forward.

_Hm. Not as calm as I would have liked._

A couple of the Alphas snarled, but the one in front laughed.

"Oh, you're going to regret that."

The Alpha leaped toward Evan, and as Evan prepared himself to counter, his vision went black.


	9. Chapter 8

There was a ringing.

A high pitched squeal that Jonathan couldn't quite place, but it seemed to be coming from the other side of the room.

From Evan.

Why had he rubbed his watch?

Was that his "good luck charm"?

But ever since, Jonathan had heard that ringing.

It was right on the edge of his hearing, but not so close as to be painful.

Yet, none of the Alphas seemed to hear it.

_Strange..._

Jonathan had tuned out of the conversation Evan and the Alpha had been having, but when the Alpha suddenly lunged, Jonathan jumped in shock. The Alpha tried to gouge Evan with his horns, but he twisted out of the way and locked the horn in his antlers, flipping the Alpha onto his back with a crack of bone.

A shard of horn splintered off the Alpha, spiraling toward Jonathan before he rolled away.

The Alpha recovered quickly, shoving himself back onto his feet before charging Evan. The gang boss swerved out of the way, but not fast enough, earning a slice on his arm.

Evan growled, not even batting an eye before swinging around and trying to impale the opposing Alpha.

_**Protect him.** _

Jonathan wasn't sure where the impulse came from, and before he could realize what he was doing, he had pulled his gun from where he had hidden it in his pocket that morning.

Moving on instinct, his body moving faster than his thoughts, Jonathan aimed it at the other Alpha.

However, as the two Alphas broke apart, both heaving for breath and blood dripping onto the cracked foundation, Jonathan froze.

_What am I doing?_

As Jonathan began lowering his weapon, one of the other Alphas noticed him.

"Hey! He was going to kill 'im!"

The Alpha pointed at him, making everyone except Evan and the leader stare at him.

"That's cheating!"

"Disqualification! We get the Omega!"

"I call his wings!"

The murmurs began to grow, and had the fight not been between them, Jonathan was sure they would have swarmed him.

"Oi! Boss!"

One of the Alphas reached out and grabbed the panting leader, making him snarl and snap at the hand.

"Shit, right."

The Alphas were quiet for a moment before one of them snapped his fingers.

"Let's just kill the BBS leader!"

"Idiot, that'd mean their gang and allies would be up in our asses."

"Then let's just leave them and take the Omega. Boss'll win anyway."

There was a pause before all the heads began to nod.

Keeping an eye on the thrashing leaders and making sure to not touch them, the Alphas slowly began to inch toward Jonathan.

"S-stay back!"

He snapped to the first ones that slid next to him, pointing his gun at them.

"Aw come on. It's not like we're gunna hurt ya,"

One of them cooed, his eyes glittering maliciously.

Jonathan felt a tug on his wings and yelled,

"I said, BACK OFF!"

The Alphas began giggling before one of them swatted the gun out of his hand, another one kicking his legs out from under him.

It only took a moment for hands to pin him to the ground and ropes to be tied.

"Let GO of me!"

He cried, nearly all of his breath being crushed out of his lungs.

"Oh **shut up**!”

One of them snapped. Jonathan's mouth shut, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't make a sound.

_What did they do to me?_

"Let's get him to the truck. Boss is almost done."

Jonathan thrashed against the hands that lifted him up, but when he saw Evan, he froze.

The gang boss was hunched over, his stance wavering as he tried to stay on his feet. His left eye was closed as a gash cut across it, several more severe wounds on his arms and chest.

He was weakening.

The opposing Alpha was holding his right wrist as scarlet swam down his hand and pooled below, but he could still hold himself.

As Jonathan was jostled out of the room, he heard wingbeats.

Faint, but there.

_Omegas._

Jonathan began thrashing harder, some of the Alphas losing their grip and growling curses.

Jonathan could see the shapes of Ohm and the others coming closer, and could even hear Ohm barking orders.

One of the Omegas paused in the air, pulling out what Jonathan could only guess was a sniper.

Taking aim, there was a heartbeat before one of the Alphas crumpled to the floor.

It only took a few more moments before Ohm and Mini appeared, both with AR-15s as they open fired into the herd.

The Alphas were sent into a panic, most of them pulling out pistols or throwing knives as some dragged their injured away.

The fight didn't last long.

Jonathan was thrown to the ground and trampled, but besides a few scrapes and bruises was relatively unhurt.

Somebody yelled a retreat, and the herd stampeded away, their thundering footsteps followed by a screech of tires.

*

Ohm landed first, his face and expression steely as he walked past Jonathan and into the building.

Neither Evan nor the other leader had left yet.

Brock and Smitty landed next, Smitty lying his sniper down to kneel over Jonathan.

"Are you okay?"

He pressed, pulling out a pocket knife and cutting away at the rope.

Jonathan tried to speak, but he still was unable. He let out a defeated puff from his nose.

"Can you speak?"

Brock asked, looking down from where he had been surveying the scene.

Jonathan shook his head as the rope fell away.

Smitty sighed, pulling Jonathan to his feet before looking around.

"Where's Evan?"

Both Jon and Brock pointed to the building, the growls and snarls of fighting now fallen silent.

Smitty glanced at Jonathan, then nodded his head toward the door before heading in.

Jonathan followed after him.

 

Inside, the lead Alpha and Evan were still glaring at each other, both of them panting, but refusing to break eye contact. Ohm was beside the door, digging through his bag before turning to Smitty.

"I can't find my scent blocker, do you have any?"

Smitty shook his head and Ohm hissed. He glanced at Jonathan before asking,

"They're in Alpha-state. Do you know who for?"

Jonathan lifted an eyebrow and Ohm sighed.

"An Omega. Do you know who they're-"

Ohm blinked, then pulled out his pocket knife.

"Hold out your hand."

Jonathan looked at Smitty, who nodded reassuringly before giving Ohm his hand.

The Omega gently took his hand before slicing neatly across his palm.

Jonathan let out a soundless yelp as blood flooded the cut, but the sound of panting suddenly stopped as both Alphas turned toward Jonathan.

There was a long pause before Evan suddenly groaned, stumbling back as he gripped his head. The other Alpha shook his head before looking at the Omegas and snarling.

"Shut it,"

Ohm sighed, pointing a pistol at the Alpha.

"Your gang left already, just get out of here."

The Alpha paused a moment, then dashed out the door, not looking back as he vanished into the maze of alleys.

Ohm lowered the gun, pocketing it before walking toward Evan.

"You okay?"

The gang boss groaned, but when he saw Jonathan holding his palm his hazy gaze seemed to clear a bit.

"Fine. Anyone else hurt?"

He turned back toward Ohm who shook his head.

"Jonathan's bleeding, but only a bit. It was to pull you from Alpha state."

Evan nodded before stumbling toward Jonathan.

"Sure you're fine?"

Jonathan nodded, and Evan was about to walk away when Smitty said,

"The Canaries Alpha Commanded him to stop talking."

Evan paused and mumbled a quiet, "oh".

" **Relax**."

Evan said the word over his shoulder before limping away, but Jonathan felt all the tension release from his body.

"Th-thanks."

Jonathan said, glancing at Smitty. The dove-wing smiled before cooing,

"No problem."

-

Evan wasn't sure how long he was in Alpha-state, but he figured it didn't matter. He just had to get everyone home.

He looked behind him, Jonathan holding his hand as he walked with Smitty toward him. Brock and Mini turned toward him, Ohm watching him curiously as the scuffing of feet stopped.

Evan glanced at Jonathan again, his blue wings hanging in exhaustion as his knuckles turned white maintaining pressure on his wound.

Turning back to the others, he sighed,

"Let's go home."

The Omegas nodded, Smitty and Craig taking off and disappearing into the darkening sky. Evan stared at the sky a moment longer.

Was the day nearly over already?

Evan sighed, glancing at Brock and Ohm who seemed to be hesitating.

"Would you like me to walk you home?"

Ohm offered, glancing from Evan to Jonathan.

Evan shook his head. He knew he probably looked beat to hell and back, but he felt fine. At least, for the moment.

"No, we'll be fine. Go ahead to Luke."

Ohm paused, then nodded before running off. When his wingbeats faded away, Brock crossed his arms.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Evan scoffed at the Omega; his oldest friend. He always was a bit overprotective.

"We'll be fine Brock. Jonathan's a great navigator."

Jon glanced up from where he had been studying the cement, his blue eyes sparkling with surprise as Brock's green eyes narrowed.

"Fine. But I'll stay nearby, so don't try anything too frisky."

Heat rushed into Evan's cheeks as Brock ran off, his winged shape hovering in the light of the sunset as his giggles echoed down.

_Stupid Brock._

Evan huffed. Jonathan giggled as well, calling Evan's attention back toward him.

The kid looked happy, albeit tired. His uneven hair swayed in the slight breeze, the corners of his sapphire, cerulean eyes folded in joy. His eyes and light freckles were accented by the light blue hoodie and wings, making Evan's heart pound almost uncomfortably harder.

The Omega's vanilla and lavender scent, tinted with Brock's lemon and creme, seemed to wrap itself around Evan, blanketing him in serenity.

"So, we going yet?"

Jonathan asked, his lips pulling into a smirk.

Evan felt his face darken with embarrassment, and he was glad the sun was casting its golden sheet to hide the color.

"Yeah, let's get home."


	10. Chapter 9

Neon signs blinked wildly as people wandered aimlessly, their destination unclear as they chose a random building to enter.   
Groups sat at bars, antlers getting locked accidentally to each other and the occasional wing brush and wink bringing the Alphas out of people.  
Flocks of Omegas giggled as their wings grew messy, feathers strewn across apartment floors or being swept up by a drained janitor.

Those not out slept heavily under blankets, their gentle snores and quiet purrs lost to the stars that danced to the song of the moon. 

A tall building stood dark against the neon-glowing sky, the windows dark as those inside slept. 

The leftovers of a well-prepared dinner chilled in the fridge and those who couldn't dream shifted uncomfortably. 

A shadow moved in the darkness.  
A knife caught the light of a passing car. 

An Omega laid sprawled across his bed, blue wings twitching in his sleep.   
An eyelid fluttered, then squinted as he took a deep breath.   
With a yawn, the Omega stretched, slowly lifting his head to take in the room around him.

A dim red glow came from his nightstand, and as Jonathan sat up, he rubbed his eyes to read the time.

_11:23 pm._

Frowning, Jonathan sat up, feeling an ache in his stomach that he was too familiar with.

_To the kitchen with me._

He thought drowsily, smiling as he stumbled to his feet and down the stairs. He fumbled uselessly for the light before giving up, feeling his way to the fridge before opening it.

As the single light blinded him, Jonathan heard a rustle behind him.   
He froze, his mind instantly awake and checking for other small sounds before he slowly turned around.   
Blackness.  
Mentally cursing himself for leaving the light off, Jonathan took a step back, closer to the fridge.   
If this was the only light he had, he was going to use as much as possible.

"Who's there?"  
He called out, his eyes searching for the slightest movement. 

"What are you doing here, Omega?"  
A voice growled.  
It sounded like the owner was on the other side of the fridge, but when Jonathan kicked the door open all the way he only got a flash of antelope horns.

_An Alpha._

"Aw come on. Let's not play hard to get now..."  
The voice sneered, the hairs on the back of Jon's neck standing up. A black gloved hand slid under the fridge door, grabbing Jonathan's ankle and pulling him to the floor before slamming the door shut.

Darkness.  
Jonathan completely lost his sense of sight, but he attempted to kick the attacker off anyway.   
He didn't stop thrashing until there was a prick on his throat.  
"Now now, let's relax a moment. You seem to have been foolish enough to come downstairs without turning on the light and watching your surroundings, so this is all your fault."  
Jonathan swallowed and felt the hidden person shift behind him.  
"Oh well. I never liked you anyway Jonathan."

This was it.  
This was how he was going to die.  
A slashed throat after he tried to eat a midnight snack.

_Pitiful._

Jonathan couldn't stop the tears that forced their way to his eyes, and no matter how hard he swallowed, he could feel a whine clawing its way out. Jonathan clenched his teeth, but the whine crawling up his throat still slipped through, eerie and solemn as it echoed through the whole floor. The attacker hissed and seemed about to snap something when a door opened upstairs.

"Hello?"

Tyler.  
Jonathan felt his heart lurch as a fear scent began leaking off the person holding Jonathan at knife-point.   
Maybe he wouldn't die, at least not yet.

The light on the stairs flicked on, and the slow, lumbering steps of Tyler began making their way down.  
The knife left Jon's neck, and he could vaguely see a shadow as it dashed out of the kitchen. 

The lights blinked to life above Jonathan, squinting as he was blinded. He held his throat gently, the memory of the blade unnerving him.

"What the fuck woke me up?"

Tyler snapped, clearly still exhausted and bedraggled as he stomped toward the kitchen and Jonathan. He couldn't see the Omega behind the counter.

_I need to stand up._

However, Jon still felt frozen. The best he could do was calm his panicked breathing. 

When Tyler passed the counters and saw Jon on the floor, he froze up.

"Jonathan? What are you doing?"

He took a step toward Jonathan and the Omega managed to struggle to his feet, Tyler catching him when he almost fell. Jon caught his balance, then pushed himself out of Tyler's grip. He crossed his arms and stared at the ground as the Alpha seemed to process what he did before sighing.

"Jonathan, what happened?"

The question was tense, the sleep a little less visible in his voice.

"There...there was an Alpha,"

Jonathan began, unable to look at Tyler and instead around the illuminated room.

Maybe he could find a sign of them...

"They tried to kill me."

Jonathan finished, turning to look at the Alpha. 

_Nothing._

Tyler's eyes flashed, and he looked around, scanning the scene.

"What did they look like?"

"I couldn't see them, it was dark."

Tyler grunted and asked,

"What did they smell like?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know how to...smell people."

Jonathan shifted uncomfortably and Tyler sighed, then asked,

"Did they touch you anywhere?"

"They grabbed my ankle, but they were wearing gloves. They held me at knife-point."

Tyler nodded, getting closer to Jonathan before taking a deep breath. He growled when he stepped back.

"Scent blockers."

Jonathan frowned, then opened his mouth to suggest the fear scent when a door opened nearby.

They both froze.

There were quiet steps on the tile, and at the flash of antlers Jonathan let out another involuntary whine.

Tyler stiffened, the hair on his arms and neck rising as both Alphas froze at the sound.

Tyler moved slowly and silently, putting himself between Jonathan and the wall where the Alpha was. Then the antlers moved forward, and as a tired yet concerned face appeared, Tyler relaxed.

Evan's eyes darted to Jonathan, then to Tyler.

"What is going on here?"

He seemed visibly trying to keep his cool, but with every glance at Jonathan behind Tyler, the more his hair raised and fingers twitched.

Tyler didn't seem to notice Evan's agitation though as he sighed in relief.

"I thought you were some Alpha here to kill us all. At least you can help us. Jonathan said-"

"He can speak for himself, thank you."

The air in the room seemed to pause, Tyler blinking in confusion before looking at Evan.

"What?"

Evan crossed his arms, his voice chilly.

"Jonathan can speak for himself."

Tyler paused again, however, for not as long.

"Of course."

Stepping back, he got out of the way from between Jon and Evan, glancing at the Omega like he was trying to help him speak.

Evan, however, had his eyes narrowed further at the other Alpha.

"You can go back to bed. I'll speak to him in my office."

Tyler's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to object, but Evan pointed at the stairs.

" **Now** , Tyler."

The words tingled Jon's spine, but they weren't directed at him. Tyler's hands curled into fists and he snarled before stomping toward the stairs, slamming his door when he reached his room.

At the sound of the door slam, Evan relaxed. His body seeming to give in to his drowsiness instead of his anger.

Turning back toward the office, Evan waved weakly for Jon to follow him.

Slowly, and only after looking around for a hiding Alpha, Jonathan slipped into Evan's office; the tired Alpha closing the door behind him.

"So, first thing's first, are you okay?"

Evan plopped into his office chair, running a hand through his mess of hair. Jonathan sat down in the chair opposite, rubbing his throat.

"Yeah...kind of."

Evan seemed to grow uncomfortable in his seat behind the desk and shifted into one beside Jonathan.

"What do you mean?"

He asked, his dark eyes unnervingly intense.

"Well,"

Jonathan started, staring at the floor.

"I came down for food because I was hungry, but I couldn't find the light switch, so I kept the light off..."

As Jonathan retold the Alpha nearly killing him, Evan had gotten up from his chair to pace behind Jon's chair. When he finished though, Evan hesitated midstep.

"So Tyler saved you?"

Evan turned his dark gaze toward Jonathan, who nodded, and the Alpha sighed.

"I'll have to apologize. I thought...fuck. I thought he had hurt you."

Evan sat back down on his chair beside Jonathan, running his hands through his hair and down his face. Jonathan frowned, then said,

"It's okay. I may not know any of the other Alphas, but from what I've seen, Tyler would never hurt anybody in this...family."

Evan looked up at Jonathan, a small smile pulling at his lips.

"You know, for someone who doesn't know how to be an Omega, you're an excellent judge of character."

Jonathan scoffed, looking at one of the bookshelves.

"Not really. I've been wrong about many, many people."

An image of James flashed through his mind, and his smile fell. Evan watched Jonathan for a moment before turning away.

They were quiet for a moment before Evan asked quietly,  
"Jon, why'd you run away?"

Jonathan glanced at him, blinking before asking,

"Pardon?"

Evan repositioned himself, leaning forward and interacting his fingers.

"Why'd you run from the Omegas in the van? Did us being a gang...scare you?"

Jonathan paused, and Evan eyed him cautiously. 

_Why?_

He had run off because he thought they were just going to use him as another one of their puppets who do the killing for them.   
But when he ran off, Evan found him, and the Omegas protected both of them.  
They saved his life.

"I ran away because I thought you would use me to kill. I don't kill people, Evan."

As the words left his tongue, Jonathan felt a rising surety.  
He wouldn't kill.  
Not unless it was a last-case scenar.

"Is that so,"  
Evan said, looking out the window behind his desk.   
He said it so lightly, like the Alpha expected the words to crumble to pieces in the air.

"Jonathan, you know we only kill to protect ourselves, and others."

Evan sighed, turning back toward the Omega.

"We get paid for taking care of problems that the police can't and won't solve. Not for killing."

Jonathan watched Evan carefully. His dark eyes seemed to be staring past the window, at a long passed memory he'd never lose.  
Jon didn't want to know what it was.

"But I don't want to kill. Ever."

Jonathan insisted. Evan scoffed.

"I can't promise you won't forever, but alright. For now, I will make sure to keep you away from the violence."

Jonathan let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding.

"And if you change your mind, we have some of the finest shots in the city. They'll teach you."

Evan added, standing up. Jonathan grimaced, but nodded anyway.  
He hoped he never changed his mind.

Evan smiled slightly, then sighed,  holding a hand put to Jonathan.

"Now that that is over with, let's get you some food and back to bed. Tomorrow we can work on getting you some Omega training."

He winked at Jonathan, who smiled warmly before following the Alpha to the kitchen.

There was a movement in the corner of Jon's eye, but when he turned to look whatever it was had vanished.

—

Below the stairs, in a small closet, huffed an Omega, throwing the false antlers he had stolen from Jonathan's room onto the floor.

"I was so _close_!”

He whisper-yelled, pacing in a circle as he pulled at his hair.

"Just a few more seconds and I could've killed him, but no. He had to whine and wake up the lightest fucking sleeper! Tyler just _had_ to come down and see what the fuck was going on."

He hissed under his breath, trying to be quiet and not alert Evan or Jonathan of his whereabouts. He had poked his head around the corner to see the Alpha calmly leading the Omega to the kitchen, preparing something to eat.

"Fucking stupid Jonathan."

He spat, imagining the googly eyes the two were making at each other.

"Evan is _mine_. And I'll make sure he realizes how much better I am than Jonathan."

The Omega twisted the knife in his hand, imagining Jonathan in front of him and slashing at the air.

"I'll make sure of it."


	11. Chapter 10

Evan stared at the table-full of groggy men in front of him, most of them with cups of coffee. He knew he had woken them all up an hour earlier than usual, but this was important.

This could affect all of them, not just Jonathan.

They had to get to the bottom of this.

He mentally went through the list of things he had to take care of before Jonathan woke up in an hour, crossing off talking to Tyler in private.

 

He had already pulled his second-hand man to the side and heavily apologized for trying to Alpha Command him, to which Tyler haughtily forgave. They cracked a few jokes and Evan knew Tyler was back. 

He wasn't one to hold grudges.

At least, as long as he was told the truth.

 

However, that was only one thing on a list of many. Now he had to warn his gang about the threat.

"Alright, I bet you're wondering why I have you all up early."

He began, clapping his hands together.

He nearly missed, playing it off like nothing happened. 

He hadn't gotten much sleep himself.

 

"Last night, Jonathan was attacked around midnight by a hidden Alpha."

Several eyes widened and Scotty, who had been sipping his coffee, nearly choked. 

"They wore gloves and scent blockers, so we don't have much of a lead."

Tyler added from where he sat beside Evan.

"How do you know it was an Alpha?"

Ohm pressed, his wings shifting uneasily.  
Evan glanced at John, the Alpha clearly the most awake out of any of them except for Tyler and Evan. He hadn't taken a puff from his vape yet, but he was spinning it in his fingers.  
Jonathan had said he saw antelope horns. 

Maybe it was John?

_I hadn't even thought about that..._

Evan realized, biting the inside of his lip.

 

With a frown, Evan leaned back in his chair.

"Jonathan said he saw horns."

Now those who had been staring at the table or the dark window behind Evan turned their attention toward him.

"What kind?"

Brock asked. Even John had stopped spinning his vape to look at Evan curiously.

_Do I tell them? What if it wasn't John? Can we handle having a backstabber in the gang? How long until others start questioning their loyalty?_

Evan closed his eyes and huffed a breath out of his nose. 

They deserved an honest leader. 

 

"Antelope."

He said curtly, following the entire room's stare as they turned toward John. The blonde's face paled.

"What? No, John didn't do it,"

Smitty interrupted from his spot beside the accused Alpha. 

"He was in his room all night!"

The room was silent before Tyler asked,

"How do you know that?"

Smitty's cheeks stained red as he fumbled for an excuse.

"Um...well...I-"

"He doesn't."

John spoke up suddenly, staring at his vape pen like it was all that mattered in the world.

"I left my room around 10 because I couldn't sleep. That makes me a suspect."

Craig, who had been sitting on the other side of John, shifted closer to Tyler and away from the other Alpha. 

The room was still silent, Smitty staring desperately between John and Evan, probably hoping one of them would say something to stop what was happening. 

"What did you do when you left your room?"

Evan asked. He didn't want to accuse John, and the Alpha didn't sound very guilty, but he was right.

He was a suspect.

John scoffed, but Evan could see his nervousness in the quicker movements of twirling the vape.

"Does it matter? Nothing I say will make it seem like I didn't do it."

The entire room seemed to have shut down. Eyes were locked on the table or their coffee cups, some of them casting lose glances at John before turning away.

"Please,"

Evan prodded. He wanted to at least know if John would tell the truth.

"I went down to the garage and sat in my car blasting music, then around 1 am I came back to bed."

John said flatly. His vape had vanished to his pocket. Smitty's glasses were off as he held his face in his hands.

Evan sighed. 

That did seem like a complete bullshit story, yet also something John would undoubtedly do. 

There had to be a way they could prove the truth.

 

Suddenly, Anthony slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone.

Craig jumped so high he ended up on the floor.

"The surveillance cameras!"

The Beta yelled excitedly, leaping to his feet before sprinting out of the room. 

He returned a moment later with a laptop, sitting back between Scotty and Nogla before opening it and typing furiously. 

The room seemed to be holding its breath as he typed away.

Smitty had lifted his puffy eyes from his hands to stare at the back of the computer, John joining him. Then, Anthony grabbed a remote from the middle of the table, lowered the projector screen behind Evan and turned the lights off.

Waiting for the projector to warm up felt like an eternity before the camera feed finally appeared on the screen. 

Then, he hit play.

The clock in the bottom left read 10:50 pm, and as the Beta accelerated the feed, around 10:57 John descended the stairs and toward the lower levels. 

When Evan glanced at the Alpha, he seemed to be in as much shock as the rest of them.

"And then you said the attack happened around midnight?"

The video accelerated faster, the living room area empty before a flash appeared down the stairs around 11:25.

Jonathan.

A few chairs squeaked as people sat up, eyes glued to the stairs as the light of the fridge illuminated the bottom of the screen. 

Anthony slowed the video down until it was at normal speed. 

At first, the living room had seemed empty, when a figure suddenly appeared from the opposite side of the stairs the camera couldn't see. 

Anthony paused it and switched to a different camera, this one placed in the other's blind spot and with a direct view of the fridge.  
They all watched the figure slink toward Jonathan before attacking him, and then a beam of light came from the stairwell. The figure froze, then dashed back to where it had emerged.

A closet under the stairs.

Tyler growled softly beside Evan, and Evan placed a hand on his arm to quiet him.

But he was holding back his own snarl.

They had been so close, and yet didn't catch the attacker.

Anthony sped up the feed again, Tyler just a flash as he came down and then back up the stairs, the door only opening once while people were still with them. Then Jonathan and Evan headed upstairs and the door was closed for a while longer. 

It wasn't until the clock read 12:26 that the door opened and the figure emerged again. 

Anthony slowed it back down, and they all watched as they slunk toward the lower levels.

However, Evan felt his blood freeze as wings billowed loosely behind the figure, just obscuring their face and horns from the camera.

The Canaries.

Evan realized sourly, staring at the figure that had tried to kill Jonathan just to vanish again. 

"Anthony, pause it and zoom in."

Evan snapped, watching hungrily as the task was finished and a black and white image of pale colored wings appeared in front of him. 

"How do they have horns and wings?"

Brian asked as Evan gestured for Anthony to put his stuff away. 

"The Canaries,"

Evan answered bitterly.

"They found a way to surgically add wings to Alphas."

Several of them shuddered and Evan held back another growl.

Now he had to get supplies to capture and kill this intruder. 

"Alright,"

Evan announced, pulling everyone's attention back to him.

"Today we will get what we need to capture this Canary, which I will assign during breakfast. For now, this meeting is over."

Nogla was the first to stand and stretch before heading toward the door, everyone following soon after. 

However, Evan called John and Smitty over to wait as everyone else left.

When the room was empty, Evan placed a hand on John's shoulder.

"I'm sorry you were accused of harming a gang member for a while there."

John scoffed, but the usual carefree light in his eyes seemed to have gone out.

"It's fine. I knew my story was weak. I'm just glad Anthony remembered the cameras."

Evan nodded, then sent the two off for breakfast.

It was time to get his teams together.


	12. Chapter 11

Jonathan blinked his eyes open at the alarm blaring on the nightstand, pressing the off button before sitting up.  
It took him a moment until he remembered why he had set the alarm, Evan requesting he be up by 7:00 to have breakfast and meet everyone.  
Jonathan stumbled out of his room, startled when he saw one of the Alphas standing by his door. 

"Morning, Jon."

He said, smiling kindly.

"Um...hi."

Jonathan greeted awkwardly, closing the door behind him.

"Evan asked me to watch your door in case that Alpha came back,"

The Alpha said, walking with Jonathan toward the stairs.

"My name is Marcel, by the way."

He introduced himself, smiling at Jonathan.

"Nice to meet you, Marcel."

Jon said, finally smiling as well. As the two stepped down the last few steps, Jonathan realized pretty much everyone was gathered at the table, and if not, they were sitting on couches or leaning on counters.  
Their breakfasts seemed to be a mix of cereal and waffles, and Jonathan spotted Evan standing beside Tyler and Brock. When he saw Marcel and Jonathan though, he looked up and smiled.

"Good morning, Jon! Thank you, Marcel,"

He added with a nod. Marcel nodded in return, heading toward the kitchen to make his own breakfast.

 

"Jonathan, let me introduce everyone while they're all here."

Evan said, walking toward the new Omega.

"Alphas first; over there is Brian, then you've met Tyler and Marcel, then Luke and John."

The first Alpha had pronghorns, then Tyler with his longhorns and Marcel with his deer. Luke had unique twisted horns Jonathan hadn't seen many of, but if he could guess what type, it would be kudu. John had antelope horns similar to the fake ones Jonathan had used for years, but the rings were more defined and worn.

 

"And then Betas; we have Scotty, Nogla, and Anthony."

The three were sitting together on the couch, and waved at Jonathan at their mention.

"And I think that's everyone, although we do get a visitor Beta every once in a while. He usually just gives us our intel and doesn't stay long. His name is Lui."

Jonathan nodded, going over names as he looked at the new faces.

_At least they all seem friendly._

"I'll be taking a few people with me to pick up some supplies. Brock, why don't you and a few other Omegas try and get Jonathan caught up in...well I guess, life. We'll be back in a few hours."

And with that, Evan left, taking Tyler, Anthony, and Marcel with him. Brian and Scotty left soon after, saying they were getting groceries and would also be back soon.

 

When the sound of the garage closing faded away, and Jonathan had finished breakfast, Brock sat him down on the couch.

"Alright, so let's start with what you do know. What do you know about Alphas and Omegas?"

Jon frowned, glancing at the curious faces that surrounded him. 

"Um, I know people discover their second gender around 13-18 years old, and that Alphas have horns, Omegas have wings, and Betas have neither."

"Anything else?"

Brock probed, he seemed a little worried.

"I also know Omegas go through heats, but that's it."

Brock nodded, then asked,

"Can you smell people? For example, what is my scent?"

Brock offered, smiling hopefully. Jonathan paused, sniffing deeply. There were a few smells that seemed to be clearer than others, but how did he know who's was who's?  
Jonathan sighed in defeat, leaning back so he could stare at the ceiling.

"I don't know. Ever since I got here I noticed I could smell a bit better, but I don't know how to tell the difference between yours and Smitty's."

Jonathan gestured to the Omega on his right, who shifted with a snicker. John, who was leaning on the counter while watching the group spoke up,

"Try following one of the scents, it should lead you to whoever it belongs to."

Jon glanced at the Alpha as he took a puff from his vape, the smoke curling around his horns as he watched leisurely. With a nod, Jonathan closed his eyes, mentally going through the scents until he found a trail of honey and mangoes. Opening his eyes, he followed the scent to Craig, who was standing a little behind Brock with his arms crossed.

"Honey and mangoes?"

The Omega's eyebrows lifted, but before he could say anything Brock grinned widely and said, 

"Perfect! Now try someone else."

Jon nodded and closed his eyes, untangling the scent strands until there was only one braided smell. Then, after opening his eyes, he followed it.

"Milk and cherries,"

He said, looking at Smitty who smiled back.

"Nice job kid,"

He chuckled, rustling Jonathan's hair. Jonathan giggled, able to get faster at discerning scents and being able to see someone and determine their smell.  
The Beta's scent was much weaker than the others, but still there. And the Alphas seemed to be single scents instead of two braided together like the other Omegas.  
After figuring out John smelled like fresh rain, (through his vape smoke), Brock asked,

"Any more questions about scents?"

Jon paused, then asked, 

"What are scent blockers?"

"Oh, they usually come in a spray, but can come in creme, it's just less effective. Basically, you apply it to your scent glands to neutralize your scent and make you fairly undetectable smell-wise."

Jon nodded, and Brock clapped his hands together.

"Perfect. Then, do you know the sensory differences between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas?"

Jon blinked in confusion, and Brock chuckled.

"I'll take that as a no. Well, Alphas can actually see in the dark, and like a cat, their eyes shine in specific light."

"It's really fun to hide in the dark and scare people,"

John commented with a chuckle. However, nobody else laughed and all eyes turned to Jonathan. It was silent until Brock cleared his throat.

"Omegas have better hearing; we can hear higher frequencies than Alphas or Betas."

"That's how Evan sends his distress signal,"

Craig added, leaning against the wall. 

"Ohm found you and Evan by following the signal after those Alphas tried to kill him."

Jonathan nodded, remembering the ringing sound he had heard.

_That must've been the signal._

He reasoned to himself with a nod.

_Makes sense why none of the Alphas reacted to it._

"Beta's senses are fairly muted compared to an Alpha or an Omega, so they can't smell as well, or hear the high frequencies Omegas can."

"Exac'ly,"

Nogla said, putting his empty bowl on the coffee table.

"I can't smell all the scents people have, but I can tell when dinner is ready."

"When know, Nogla,"

Brock said with a chuckle. 

"Wha'?"

Nogla spattered as the guys laughed.

"I was jus' sayin'!"

Nogla argued indignantly, visibly pouting.

 

When the guys quieted, Brock paused, his lips pulled in a tight frown.

"I think that is everything, besides flying of course. John, anything to add about Alphas?"

The Omega glanced curiously at the Alpha still leaning on the counter, who let out a puff of smoke in thought. Then he stated,

"Alphas can use Alpha Commands to get an Omega to do whatever they say. For example, I could tell you to stand up and do a stupid dance and you'd do it even if you didn't want to. It's a dumb thing that many Alphas take advantage of, so just be careful about it."

The Omegas nodded, and Smitty commented,

"I've heard of Omegas fighting it, but it nearly kills them. It's like going against every muscle in your body at the same time."

A few people mumbled an agreement before John sighed.

"And then there's also Alpha-state, where an Alpha defending an Omega will get super aggressive toward anyone around them. It doesn't happen as often anymore, but there are circumstances where it happens today."

"Like Evan against the Canaries,"

Brock added, motioning toward Jon in hopes it would help him understand. However, Jonathan just frowned.

"But even if he was aggressive, shouldn't he have recognized you guys?"

John paused for another vape before explaining,

"Alpha-state is strange. It completely erases everything from the mind except for fighting and killing the opposing Alpha. The brain releases testosterone and adrenaline in heavy doses before the mind goes blank, and then it isn't until one of them is dead that the brain releases dopamine to pull them out of Alpha-state."

"Or until the Omega they're fighting over gets hurt,"

Brock added. Jonathan nodded, mentally going over everything again before glancing at Brock.

"I think I got everything."

The eagle-wing laughed, then said,

"Good. Then I guess the next thing to learn would be flying. However, that's something you usually learn in school, and they have safe padded rooms to practice. So, we'll have to be careful, but I think we can go to the roof. That's the only place open enough to fly, so we'll just have to make sure you don't fall off the edge."

Brock said the last comment with a smile like he was attempting a joke, but it just unnerved Jonathan. His wings twitched anxiously, but he nodded anyway.  
He'd need to learn if he wanted to survive in the world.  
They all headed downstairs to the elevator, cramming everyone in and riding to the top.

 

When they got to the top, the doors opened to a small room with only one door on the opposite end.

"Go on, that leads to the roof."

Brock said as everyone else followed soon after. As they stepped onto the roof, Jonathan felt a breeze tug at his wings, pulling at the feathers playfully. 

"Alright, Ohm, you fly the best out of any of us; why don't you give Jonathan an example of how to take off?"

The dove-wing had been staring at the view off the building, and it took him a moment to realize Brock was talking to him. 

"Oh...right."

He whispered, pausing a moment before opening his wings and running down the roof. The wind caught his feathers, and soon he was able to flap a few times before his feet were off the ground. As he veered back toward the others he added,

"That's the easiest way to get into the air, later we can teach you how to take off in place."

"Like this,"

Smitty said, opening his wings before giving them a few hard flaps. It took a bit longer, but soon he was in the air.

"Alright,"

Brock started, turning back to Jonathan.

"First, let's try what Ohm did. I'll run with you."

Jonathan nodded, looking down the long stretch of concrete that made up the roof. Taking a deep breath, he opened his wings and set himself to run.  
Then he sprinted.  
He ran as fast as he could, and soon he felt the wind tugging hopefully at his feathers.

"Now flap!"

Brock called behind him, his wingbeats already sounding nearby.  
Jonathan grunted, flapping his wings with and against the air current. It took him a moment to get them in sync, but when he did he started getting lift. He continued flapping until his toes were brushing the ground, then he lost his balance and his left wing tried to make up for it, only throwing him further off balance. He landed on his shoulder with a yelp.  
The sound of running and wingbeats headed toward Jon and he sat up, rubbing his shoulder and stretching his wings. Nothing seemed wrong.

"You okay?"

Craig asked, being the first to reach him.  
Jonathan nodded, standing up again and glancing at the group surrounding him.

"I'm fine. Let's try again."

 

He glanced at Brock, and the Omega nodded with a smile.  
It took him a few more tries, (and several scraped knees and shoulders) but he eventually got it. He was able to hover in the air, albeit wobbly. He wanted to keep going, but Brock told warned him about how sore he would be already, and ushered everyone back toward the elevator. 

 

As everyone headed back down for lunch, Jonathan found himself beside Ohm, the Omega intently staring at the floor. 

"How long did it take you to learn how to fly?"

He asked, glancing at the dazed dove-wing. Ohm looked at him in surprise, then shrugged with a small smile.

"Um, I think about a month, but I practiced all the time. I wanted to be able to fly away from home as soon as possible."

Jonathan glanced at Ohm, who had returned his gaze to the floor, and frowned.

"Yeah," was all he could say.  
He had never wanted to leave home, but, he figured if his parents hadn't forced him out he would have wanted to leave eventually.  
Maybe.

 

"How'd you end up on the streets?"

Jon blinked at the question, looking back at Ohm who seemed to have pulled himself from whatever memories he had been trapped in. 

"Oh, um..."

Jonathan began, now his turn to stare at his feet.

"I...I got kicked out. My parents believed only girls should be Omegas and only boys should be Alphas. The same thing happened to my Alpha sister."

Jonathan got a flash of his sister, Jane, behind his eyes, the pricks of her delicate horns piercing her scalp.  
That had been years ago, when Jon was only 11 years old. Before that, his sister had been his biggest supporter and tutor through school, even if she never really liked James.  
Not that Jonathan would blame her now.  
She had promised to meet him again, to take him someplace safe, away from their parents.  
However, after that night of his mother and father yelling about dishonor and packing her things for her, she had vanished without a trace.  
At least she was an Alpha, so she was probably situated in a job with an apartment of her own somewhere.  
At least she had a chance to pack her things and say goodbye.

Jonathan shook his head, forcing himself out of those bad memories. When he came to, Ohm was watching him curiously, although slowly turned his eyes to the elevator in front of them as they all packed in together.


	13. Chapter 12

Evan and Brian's groups came back during lunch, some people playing video games or scrolling through phones as they entered. Brian and Scotty filled up the cupboards and fridge, much to Jonathan's excitement.  
Evan and his group had brought back traps from their weapon dealer (someone named Fitz? Jon overheard Marcel whispering to Scotty).

The blue-winged Omega offered to help Evan set up his traps, but the Alpha insisted he stay and play some games of Mario Kart.  
He would have argued, but Smitty and Ohm insisted, Brock and Mini going with everyone else to head downstairs.  
However, as Ohm was setting up the game and everyone had left, Jonathan turned to the other two.

"So how do you trap an Alpha? Can't they just tear out of a net?"

Smitty answered, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he glanced at Jonathan.

"Evan uses tasers, or tranq darts. Then we connect it to our security system so instead of just setting off an alarm, the intruder will be hit with one or the other. Depends on their entry point."

Jonathan nodded, then had his attention grabbed as Ohm passed him a controller.  
Shrugging, Jonathan chose his character.  
Maybe he didn't have to worry as much as he did, but wasn't it better to know those around you than to just have blind trust?

—

The traps didn't take long to set up, and after testing the accuracy of the dart guns with a tennis ball, the guys began cooking dinner or playing other video games.  
Jonathan had seemed to grow more comfortable around the guys, although Evan knew he was still holding back, like he was scared of getting too close to them.  
He just wished he knew why.

The Omega was laughing with Ohm and Luke, seeming to follow their trail of humor easily.  
Yet, he never seemed to laugh as hard as the others.  
He would chuckle, maybe giggle, but never laugh to the point of tears like the others did.  
Evan was pulled from his thoughts when the smell of milk and cherries grew stronger beside him.

"Hey, Evan."

Smitty cooed, the Alpha turning to face him. The Omega's white hair was fluffed to a gentle swoop, his usual hat absent and 3D glasses on the edge of his nose.

"Hey, Smitt!"

Evan said, smiling warmly. The Omega had been the youngest before Jonathan, although he was only a year younger than Evan.  
The two of them had gotten pretty close, although not intimately like Smitty was with John.

"Checking on Jonathan?"

The Omega asked, moving to stand beside Evan. Evan scoffed, then proposed,

"That obvious?"

Smitty chuckled, then said,

"A little. You always seem to be trying to keep an eye on him."

Evan missed the sideways glance from the Omega.

"Yeah, just making sure he fits in."

Evan wasn't sure if he was telling Smitty or himself.  
Had he been taken a special interest in the Omega?  
Could he blame himself?

Evan's smile faltered a bit, watching as Jonathan got scooped up and noogied by Luke. He giggled until Luke released him, his smile suddenly wavering as if he could see something that wasn't there.  
Then Jon excused himself, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket and slowly marching upstairs. Evan frowned at the reaction, and Luke turned to ask Ohm if he had done anything wrong. 

Evan watched as the blue hoodie vanished, then began slowly going after him.  
However, his wrist was caught by Smitty. 

"M-maybe you should let him go,"

The Omega sounded hesitant, but had his dark eyes locked on Evan.

"Just stay here and let him cool off a bit."

Evan blinked in confusion, then glanced up that stairs.  
There was a distinct sound of a door closing.  
Sighing, Evan nodded. Smitty's lips pulled into a smile, and his wing brushed Evan's back apologetically.

"You need to relax. Why don't you join me in an Uno game?"

Smitty gestured to the table, where John, Brock, and Brian were already getting out the colorful cards, poking fun at each other. 

_Not yet..._

Evan thought to himself, finding something on his mental list he had yet to do.

"Next game. I have to check something really quick,"

Evan promised with a nod. Smitty's smile fell slightly, but he nodded.

"Alright. Next game."

Evan gave him another warm smile, then walked toward his office.

 

He could feel Smitty's eyes on his back until he turned the corner, then the scuff of feet on tile as the Omega turned away.  
Evan paused there for a moment, standing in front of his office door. Then he turned to the opposite end of the hallway, where the door to the closet under the stairs stood.  
He had told everyone to avoid the door all day, but now that he had a chance, he wanted to investigate it.

He slowly stepped back into the kitchen, seeing John passing Smitty his cards as the game started.  
The white-haired Omega had his back to Evan, and none of the others noticed him across the kitchen.  
Nogla, Marcel, Scotty, and Craig were playing Mario Kart, Craig letting out a cry of anger as he got in last place again.  
Anthony and Tyler were sitting on the couches beside them, watching and laughing at the antics that ensued.  
All of them had their eyes locked on the screen.

_Perfect._

Evan walked calmly toward the door, hoping the others wouldn't take notice in him, and if they did, they wouldn't question him.  
As he reached the door, the bland and empty smell of scent blockers seemed to reek from every corner.  
When he opened the door, the lack-of-scent hit him like a wave.

_This must be where they applied the blocker._

Evan analyzed, pulling his shirt up to cover his nose and breathing through his mouth.  
The closet seemed mostly untouched, some random boxes from years ago and discarded blankets that were tattered beyond use.  
There was, however, something on top of one of the stacks of blankets.  
It took Evan to realize what they were, but when he did he was sure.

They were Jonathan's antlers,  
The fake ones he had worn to hide him being an Omega at first glance. 

Evan picked them up, the twisted shape similar to John's, but not nearly as defined. 

_It's not a Canary._

Evan realized, placing the horns back on the blankets.

_Which means it has to be an Omega. But what Omega would attack another?_

As Evan ran through possibilities in his mind, he continued scanning the room.  
His eyes and thoughts froze when he landed on an object.  
He knew it from anywhere.  
And he'd never, ever forget it.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I'll give you guys the next chapter.  
> Not because I pity you or anything...  
> But because it's mostly backstory...  
> And because I love you all.  
> <3

Evan wandered the halls of the new school warily, hand on his backpack straps and eyes darting to all the unfamiliar faces.  
Wings brushed against lockers and antlers chipped wall paint.  
Voices warped and muddled together, until Evan finally managed to sidestep out of the large crowd.  
Sighing, he took a deep breath before pulling out his schedule. He looked at the room number of his first class, then at the room numbers around him. Following the doors with his eyes, then back at his schedule, he realized his room was in the middle of the traffic jam.  
He groaned before slowly making his way back. 

When he finally got shoved toward the class by a backpack, Evan double checked the room numbers before heading through the door.  
Inside was practically silent compared to the hall, with only one other student sitting at a desk.  
However, he had the beginnings of wings.  
Evan glanced at him curiously, and the student looked at him with a kind smile.  
“Hey, what’s your name?”  
He asked, gesturing for Evan to sit beside him. Evan hesitated, then sat beside the Omega.  
“Evan,”  
He said simply, glancing around the classroom.  
The only other people were a girl reading a book a few desks away and a Beta teacher sipping coffee and typing furiously.  
“Nice to meet you Evan, I’m Brock.”  
“Nice to meet you too.”  
Evan said quietly, a hint of a smile on his face.  
“So, what grade are you in? Sophomore?”  
Brock asked, curiosity gracing his green eyes. The Omega absentmindedly brushes a few strands of his lengthy hair out of his eyes.  
“Freshman,”  
Evan corrected with a giggle.  
“I just moved here actually.”  
Brock nodded in interest, then asked,  
“Where from?”  
Evan scoffed, then said,  
“Canada.”  
Brock’s eyes widened and he gave Evan a toothy grin.  
“That’s so _cool_! Get it?”  
Brock began laughing at his own joke and Evan couldn’t help but join him. They told a few more puns, (all too terrible to write), before calming down. Most of the class had filed in by then, most of them rolling their eyes at the actually _horrific_ puns.  
Finally, after laughing at one about how Canadians “snow” instead of cry, Evan asked,  
“What grade are you in?”  
Brock shrugged, but his lips pulled into a smirk.  
“Senior. Moved here last year and still have to catch up on my credits.”  
Evan nodded, then said,  
“Makes sense.”  
Brock chuckled, then pointed at his wings.  
“Because of these? I swear it’s normal to be a Male Omega.”  
Brock said it like he was joking, but a fire ignited in his eyes. Evan shook his head.  
“Not what I meant. My best friend back home hit it early and was an Omega.”  
Brock seemed to relax, and let out a sigh.  
“Sorry. Some people are really strict about that.”  
Evan shrugged, placing a hand on Brock’s shoulder.  
“It’s fine. Maybe I’ll be an Omega too, and we can prove how we are just as good as Alphas.”  
Brock chuckled, but didn’t answer.

They grew inseparable. They ate lunch together, and any classes they had apart, Brock would somehow manage to be outside Evan’s door to walk him to his next class.  
When Evan asked him about it, he said he was an A+-student and teachers typically let him do what he wanted, as long as his work was turned in.  
Evan gawked, and hoped he could become the same way. 

The beginning of the year went amazing. Not too much homework, and they were able to hang out constantly. Brock helped him understand some concepts when the teachers didn’t explain well enough.  
The middle of the year was okay. More homework and tests, and Brock got so caught up with colleges he couldn’t meet Evan as often during or outside of school.  
The end was bad. 

It started with Brock disappearing for a week without telling Evan. The freshman panicked, and when the Senior didn’t respond he began to fear the worst.  
That is, until the disheveled and bruised Brock stumbled into his first period class, late.  
Evan asked to be excused and take him to the nurse, to which the teacher generously gave permission.  
As the pair disappeared into the hallway, Evan followed stayed in step with Brock.  
After a moment of tense silence, Evan asked,  
“What happened? You’ve been gone for a week and-“  
“Evan,”  
Brock glanced at the freshman, quieting him before sighing.  
“I’m running away.”  
“What?”  
Evan gasped before he could stop himself, the older Omega’s almost full wings twitching anxiously.  
“My dad...did some not so good things to me. I’m leaving before he can hurt me more.”  
Evan frowned, their feet still leading them down the hall.  
“Can...can you visit me?”  
Brock paused a moment, his frown growing as he shook his head.  
“It’s too dangerous. My dad could find me,”  
He waited a few steps then added,  
“I’m sorry, Evan.”  
Evan felt his mind whirling.  
Brock was his one friend.  
He could barely handle a week without him, and now he was leaving forever?  
“Take me with you.”  
Evan blurted, his eyes flicking back toward Brock with hope.  
The Omega scoffed.  
“No. That'd be selfish of me. Your family still cares about you.”  
Evan could feel tears burning the corners of his eyes.  
“Please! You’re my only friend!”  
“You’ll make more. It’s just life.”  
“You can’t go out on your own!”  
“I have some friends.”  
“Who?”  
Brock paused a long while before letting out a heavy sigh.  
“Just go back to class, Ev. You’ll forget about me soon enough.”  
“But!-“  
Evan’s argument was cut off as a man stumbled into the hall.  
He had chipped bull horns, a scruffy beard, and stained clothes.  
When he saw Brock, his lips revealed missing teeth in a menacing smile.  
“Found ya.”  
He growled, taking large strides toward the two.  
Brock had frozen at the sight of him, until he whispered,  
“Run.”  
Without missing a beat, Evan grabbed Brock’s sleeve and pulled him away from the man, the Omega not hesitating as he ran with Evan.  
“Get back here!”  
The man roared, his heavy steps thundering after them.  
Brock suddenly yanked free of Evan’s hand, taking a sharp turn to one of the doors that lead to the courtyard.  
Evan swerved after him, the man nearly catching Evan’s jacket in his hands. Evan unzipped his coat, ready to throw it off if the man grabbed it.  
Brock had his wings open now, flapping slowly to give himself a boost of speed, but not hard enough to get lift.  
Evan could see his destination now.  
A beat up red truck was sitting awkwardly crooked in a nearby parking space, the Omega pulling something out of his pocket with a glint of silver.  
“Don’t you dare, young man!”  
The man bellowed.  
Evan thought he could feel his breath on his neck.  
Brock threw the driver’s door open, Evan flinging himself into the passenger seat as the truck roared to life.  
The car locks clicked into place as the man slammed into Brock’s window. He started yelling and pounding the glass, Brock flinching before pulling the car into reverse and stepping on the gas.  
The mirror knocked the man down, and Brock slammed the truck into drive before flooring it out of the parking lot. 

Both were panting hard.  
As the truck sped through an empty red light, Brock heaved a long sigh.  
“It’s okay, we’re safe.”  
Evan reassured, surprising himself with the confidence in his voice. Brock scoffed, then glanced at Evan.  
The freshman saw the bags under the senior’s eyes.  
“I’ll assume you’re not going home?”  
The question was simple, but Evan could read the hope in his friend’s eyes.  
“No. We do this together.”  
Evan stated, lifting his chin slightly.  
Brock chuckled, but it felt heavy.  
“Well,”  
Brock said after a long silence. They were merging onto the highway.  
“I guess this is official. Promise me one thing Evan,”  
Evan glanced at Brock to see him reach into his pocket, trying to keep his eyes on the road and get the object out at the same time. Finally, he managed to pull it free.  
“Here.”  
He handed Evan the small object, the sunlight catching it for a moment.  
It was a keychain.  
It was a gold-lined image of an owl, with brown feathers and bright, yellow eyes.  
“I got it a long time ago,”  
He said with a wistful smile, brushing his hand on the key chain the hung from the ignition.  
It was similar to the owl in its golden-lining, except it was a moose with large branching antlers.  
He moved his hands back to the steering wheel, then said,  
“I want you to keep that with you as a sign that we’ll always have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

Evan looked at the owl in his hand, then scoffed.  
“Of course,”  
He covered the owl with his fingers, the cold metal feeling nice against his warm hand.  
Brock glanced at Evan, then smiled as he turned back to the windshield.  
The car accelerated as he pressed down the gas.

—-

Evan stared at the gold-lined moose, the chain it was connected to broken. He trailed his fingers along his hip, feeling the familiar weight of the owl on his belt loop.  
He brought it with him everywhere.  
No matter what.  
And now Brock left his _here_?

A growl crawled its way out of his throat as he picked up the moose, unclipping his owl so they were side-by-side. He closed his hand tightly around the keychains, stepping out of the closet and shutting the door.  
A shout was heard as a game tugged at the guy’s emotions.  
Evan turned around the corner, trying to calculate how he would bring it up.  
Blunt.  
That was how anything like this should be.  
He swallowed another growl as he walked toward the table where the Omega and others were seated.  
Evan could feel a part of him begging that what he was thinking was wrong, but every logical part of him screamed Brock’s name.  
He glanced at the fake antlers in his other hand, the other piece of evidence.  
It all made so much sense.  
Too much.

With a sigh, he stared at his longest friend.  
“Brock, why did you attack Jonathan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to curl up in my bed and cackle as I imagine you all reading this.  
> :)


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is here!  
> I'm taking a break off writing for a bit (I'm super drained after the October Challenge lol), but the next chapter should be up within the next two weeks.  
> After that, updates should be regular again!  
> Can't wait for you guys to get a bit more of the picture, and if you have any theories I'd love to hear them!  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

Jonathan collapsed onto his bed, his sigh turning into a scream on the comforter. The flash of memories behind his eyelids had faded as he came up the stairs, but the emotions still lingered.   
Luke’s campfire scent clung to Jonathan’s jacket, the warm smell the only thing keeping Jon from slipping back into memories about James.   
“Fuck…”  
Jonathan mumbled under his breath, sitting up and staring at the carpet. He pulled his knees to his chest and inhaled deeply, trying to drown in the campfire smell. The slight sweetness of Ohm’s cinnamon and sugar scent was dusted on his jacket as well, maybe a milk and cherries from Smitty.   
Still none of his own though.   
He could identify all of his friends, and yet still couldn’t find himself.   
Jonathan let out a dry laugh.  
Sounded so fucking cliché.

Sighing, Jonathan stood.  
He should probably go back downstairs, go apologize for leaving so abruptly. As he took a step forward, his foot met a prick.  
“Ow!”  
Looking down and yanking his foot away, Jonathan saw a pair of sunglasses.  
He frowned, and picked them up.   
“Sunglasses?”  
Who wore sunglasses?  
Dumb question. Everyone wore some at some point.  
But who wore _these_ glasses?  
Jonathan turned the expensive-looking glasses around in his hand.  
 _I know I’ve seen these before. And the only one who wears sunglasses almost religiously is Brock.  
...maybe they’re his?_  
Jonathan shrugged, then gently tucked them into his hoodie pocket.  
 _No harm in asking around._

As Jonathan began taking slow steps down the stairs, the ping of a video game being paused sounded, and a solo voice spoke.

“I’m sorry, what?”  
Brock.  
“Please, Brock. We’ve known each other for years. I don’t want any lies, just the truth.”  
Evan?  
What were they talking about?  
Jonathan quickened his pace, making sure to stay as silent as possible as his feet hit the tile floor.  
Everyone’s eyes were on the man standing next to the table, his eyes on Brock.

“Evan, I’d never attack Jonathan, you know that!”  
Jon’s heart skipped a beat.  
They were arguing over him?  
And why Brock? He wasn’t a Canary, he didn’t even have antlers!  
Jonathan didn’t seem to be the only one who had the thought, as Tyler stood from the couch and took a few steps toward the distressed Alpha.  
“Evan, I thought we figured out the attacker was-.”  
“Wrong.”  
Evan snapped, turning to look at the taller.  
“I found these in the closet.”  
He held up one of his hands, revealing the false antlers.  
“What?”  
The room gasped.  
It was quiet for a long time, and when Jonathan looked at Evan, the Alpha’s expression was unreadable.  
“So it’s an Omega?”  
Marcel asked finally, his gaze turning toward Craig who sat beside him.   
“All of you, against the wall! Jon, come here.”  
Tyler snapped, pointing at the wall beside the stairs.  
Nobody moved for a few heartbeats, until Jonathan slowly walked toward Tyler.   
Brock was the next to move, then Craig, Ohm, and Smitty.

Evan moved to stand in front of the four, and behind him Tyler stood with Jonathan.   
“I don’t want to do this,”  
Evan began, his voice low and eyes dark.  
“But I want to hear the truth. Craig,”  
The pigeon-wing looked up from his hands, trying to hide the tremble in his fingers.  
“Where were you that night?”  
“I-in my room. L-like a-always.”  
Evan nodded, then moved on.  
“Ohm,”  
“I was writing in my journal,”  
The dove-wing answered quickly, his hazel gaze on the floor.   
Evan nodded without another comment.  
“Smitty,”  
“I was...I was just coming back from John’s room.”  
The other dove-wing kept flicking his eyes between Evan and the floor, before finally settling on the ground.  
Evan paused a moment before moving on.  
“Brock,”  
“I was reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_.”  
Brock held Evan’s gaze, but there seemed to be some hesitation in his eyes.  
Evan didn’t move.  
“The truth, Brock,”  
He said as calmly as he had addressed the others. The eagle-wing stiffened in disbelief.  
“I _am_ telling the truth, Evan! Why are you so sure I’m lying?”  
“ _This_ is why, Brock!”  
Evan held out his open hand, two small keychains in hand.  
Brock seemed to freeze.  
“Wh-where…”  
The Omega stuttered uselessly, but when he reached for the keychains Evan pulled them back toward his chest.  
“I found it in the closet under the stairs. The same place the attacker hid.”  
Brock blinked at Evan for a moment before the Omega’s gaze hardened.   
“Evan, it was in my room! I don’t know how-“  
“ ** _Shut up_ , Brock**!”

Jonathan’s wings twitched involuntarily, the other Omegas cringing from the command.  
Brock, however, slammed his mouth shut as he stared hopelessly at the Alpha in front of him.  
Eyes flickered toward Brian as he took a step toward the wall of Omegas.   
“Evan, I think that’s enough. If he’s still denying then-“  
Brian placed a hand on Evan’s shoulder to calm him, but the Alpha only pulled away.  
“Then we lock him up until we get more proof.”  
Evan finished, glaring at Brian. Brian blinked before snarling,  
“Evan, we all know Brock wouldn’t lie about this!”  
“No Brian, we _don’t_ know. And if he won’t tell me on his own will, I’m not using an Alpha Command to hear it.”  
The room was silent for a moment, before Evan looked at Marcel.   
“Take Brock to the cells. I’ll deal with him later.”  
Brock’s eyes widened, but he didn’t open his mouth to protest.   
“Y-yes sir….”  
Marcel mumbled, quickly grabbing Brock.  
“No! Leave him alone! You don’t know anything!”  
Brian yelled, catching Marcel’s sleeve and restraining him from taking the dove-wing.  
“Brian, let him go.”  
Marcel growled, his eyes uncertain but tone confident.  
“Wha-? No! Let-“  
“Go...Brian…”  
The weak croak came from Brock, blood trickling out his nose as he look at the Alpha desperately.   
Brian paused, then took a step back. His blue eyes were widened in horror.  
Marcel quickly lead a stumbling Brock downstairs, all eyes trained on them with hooded expressions.  
When they disappeared, Evan glanced at the keychains in his hand before closing his fist.  
“You three are free to go.”  
He muttered, glancing at the remaining Omegas.  
Smitty was the first to move, hurrying toward John who caught him in a hug.  
Craig found Tyler, and Ohm cast a long look at Jonathan before moving slowly toward Luke.

“I’m going to my office,”  
Evan said, calling attention back on him.  
“Don’t bother me.”  
The Alpha boss walked quickly to his wooden door.  
When he reached the oak he paused, glancing at Jonathan before grimacing and heading into his office.

Jonathan stared at Evan’s office door before his eyes fell to the tile floor.  
Dread seemed to fill the air.  
He could smell the fear mixed with the Omega’s, although those still in the room had relaxed.  
The lemon and creme scent that trailed down the stairs was drenched in terror.  
The smell of milk and cherries grew stronger.

“Hey, Jon.”  
Jonathan turned to see Smitty, the Omega running a thoughtless hand through his hair.  
”Hey…”  
Jonathan’s eyes fell to the tile again, his own tone empty.  
”You okay? I never thought…”  
Smitty’s voice trailed away and he reached a hand out to comfort Jon. However, he pulled it back before he could touch Jon’s hoodie. Jonathan sighed, casting a glance at the stairs that Brock and Marcel had disappeared down.  
”I...I’ll be fine.”  
Smitty nodded slightly then said,  
”What’s in your hand?”  
”Hm?”  
Jonathan turned his hand around to see the sunglasses. He hadn’t noticed he had taken them out of his hoodie.  
”Oh. I found these in my room.”  
Smitty took the glasses gingerly, turning them over with delicate fingers.  
”You found these in your room?”  
Jonathan nodded.  
”They look like they're Brock’s…”  
Smitty trailed off, before suddenly shoving them back into Jonathan's hand.  
”You should tell Evan later. Let him cool off first.”

Jonathan nodded and watched Smitty as the Omega hurried off, brushing John with his wing before whispering something.   
Tyler was hugging Craig, the Omega mumbling something.  
Ohm was speaking softly to Luke, glancing at the Alpha every few moments.  
Brian disappeared down the stairs.

_What's happening?_  
Jonathan thought, looking around as the small groups huddled closer together.  
Then, almost in unison, they all looked at him.  
 _What did I do?_


	16. Chapter 15

Reality seemed to have shifted.  
Not enough to make conversations of it, but enough to feel it.  
To sense it in the air.

All the Omegas had muttered the same comment,  
“It wasn’t Brock.”  
And the respective Alpha had asked who would attack the jay-wing.   
Only one knew the answer.

However, he turned his back to the door Brian had vanished down, and where Jonathan stood speechless.  
He knew he had gotten away with his attack for now, but he didn’t know how much more of the lovey-dovey ogling between Evan and the jay-wing he could take.  
He’d have to act again soon, and he would do whatever it took to make Evan his.

—

Brian hurried down the stairs after Marcel, blood roaring through his ears.  
He had heard the murmuring from the Omegas.  
They knew it wasn’t Brock, so why didn’t any of them say anything?  
Brian barely resisted the growl that slithered up his throat.  
Droplets of scarlet that reeked of lemon and creme trailed down the stairs.  
Brian reached the bottom of the stairs, heading through an empty door to the left.  
Marcel’s smell of mud almost drowned Brock’s lemon.

Three cells lined the walls on either side, with a bit of space away from the door for safety.  
Marcel had taken Brock to the middle cell on the left, blood dripping from the Omega’s nose and his eyes half-closed as he stared at the floor.  
Marcel finished securing the locks on Brock’s wrists, then closed the cell. When he turned back toward the door, his eyes widened. Brian let out a low growl, and Marcel took a step back but held the Alpha’s sharp gaze.  
“Brian, I’m just doing what Evan ordered. I know it wasn’t Brock.”  
Brian stared at the deer-horn in front of him for several moments before taking a deep breath.  
“Give me the keys.”  
He growled finally. Marcel huffed.  
“You can’t let him go. You know that.”  
“And you know I won’t,”  
Brian countered.  
“Let me see my mate.”  
Brian tried to smother the desperation that clung to his plea, but it still managed to stain the words. Marcel sighed before tossing a ring of keys at Brian.  
“Fine. But please don’t take too long.”  
Brian caught the keys and hurried to Brock’s cell, unlocking the door and enveloping his mate in his arms.  
“B-Brian…”  
Brock breathed, his voice strained and eyes glazed.  
Brian hushed him, then whispered,  
“ **Relax**.”  
Brock collapsed into his arms, his dark wings brushing the cement floor.  
“I got you Brocky...I got you.”  
Brian soothed, listening to Brock’s labored breathing.  
The Omega’s eyes fluttered closed and his breathing finally began to steady.  
Brian glanced at Marcel, who stood in the door.  
He gave the deer-horn a small nod, and Marcel returned it before disappearing back up the stairs.

Brian looked back down at Brock, taking a deep breath of Brock’s sweet scent.   
He never wanted it to be twined with blood and fear again.  
What plans did Evan have?  
Did he really believe Brock had tried to kill Jonathan?  
What if he was right?

Brian took in the sleeping Omega draped across his arms.  
Brock’s features were soft with sleep, and his feathered hair fell perfectly across his face.  
Brian couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips as he stared at his gorgeously handsome mate.  
He was perfect in every way.  
And Brian was going to protect him no matter what.

\---

Tyler took a sip of water from his cup.  
Most of the gang had settled down, although the house was quiet.  
No games played loudly and comments were made in whispers.  
The unease and dread in the air were almost tangible.

In Tyler’s scan of the room, his gaze paused on his mate.  
Craig was staring at the cup of water Tyler had gotten him, sitting on the couch.  
It felt like a stone wedged itself in his heart.

Craig’s words had confused him.  
 _It wasn’t Brock._  
Then who was it?

Tyler glanced at the other Omegas that had situated themselves subconsciously near each other.  
Smitty was leaning on the back of the couch about a foot away from Craig, and Ohm was scrolling through his phone a cushion away from the two.  
Jonathan had grabbed a snack from the fridge before vanishing to his room again.

They were unnerved.   
Anyone could tell by their agitated scent.  
However, as they relaxed into each other’s presence and the sight of their mates or boyfriends, Tyler could read them easier.  
He had always been good at it.  
With the subtle body language and tones that people used every day, it was easy to pick up on what others wanted hidden.

Craig was lost in his mind, drowning in a memory or idea that dragged him from reality.  
His expression was blank and he sat like a stone, his gray wings slightly wrapped around him.  
Smitty had his dark eyes watching the popcorn ceiling, most likely juggling around a few thoughts, perhaps trying to deduce who the attacker truly was if it wasn’t Brock.  
He kept his hands in his pockets, his white wings hanging loosely behind him.  
Ohm was trying to distract himself with his phone.  
His silver wings twitched and his knee bounced as he tried to occupy his thoughts with anything except what kept forcing its way through..

Tyler sighed, draining his cup of water.  
He didn’t want to turn his friends into suspects, especially his mate.  
The memory of the recording ran through his mind as he scanned the Omegas again.  
The attacker had been smart enough to shield their face from the cameras, but it meant they got a clear shot of their wings, even if it was grainy and black-and-white.  
The Alpha filed away a few suspects.

“Tyler,”  
The Alpha turned his hardened stare away from the couch and turned toward the voice.  
“What is it, Marcel?”  
The deer-horn threw a thumb behind him with a sigh.  
“Brian’s downstairs with Brock. I told him to make it quick, but just make sure he leaves.”  
Tyler nodded, and Marcel headed toward the group of Betas that had slowly come together.  
He hugged Scotty from behind, pressing a kiss to the Beta’s temple.  
Tyler let a smile brew on his lips before looking away.  
The small smirk crumbled away.

He hated that his family was in danger.  
Even if it was their job, the thought that there was a traitor in their midst pissed Tyler off.  
And now, he felt like he couldn’t trust any of the Omegas.  
Now, he felt he couldn’t trust his mate.


	17. Chapter 16

Colored neon flashed through the city.  
A towering building was full of drunk laughter.  
An empty case of beer lay on a chair.  
Half-full and empty cans and bottles littered the kitchen.  
A tipsy, white-winged Omega trailed a wasted, antelope-horned Alpha.  
Only Betas and an Alpha remained at the table.

“I love you so much…”  
The antelope-horned Alpha purred in the Omega’s ear, his cheeks red with whiskey.  
“I love you too.”  
The Omega smirked, pressing a sloppy kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.  
The Alpha giggled, then dragged the reluctant Omega into his room. 

“John,”  
The Omega whined.  
“I gotta go to bed.”  
John growled softly as he forced his lips on the Omega.  
Their clumsy kiss only lasted a few seconds before the Omega pushed the Alpha off of him.  
“Seriously, I have a killer headache.”  
The Omega whispered into John’s ear.  
John let out another annoyed snarl, this time taking a step back.  
“Fine. Go to sleep, Smitt.”  
Smitty gave John an appreciative peck on the cheek and trailed his wing down the Alpha’s side as he slipped out of the door.

When the door closed, Smitty sighed.  
He wasn’t going to deal with drunk John trying to unbutton his clothes with clumsy fingers.  
They could spend the night together when they were sober.  
Smitty wobbled toward his room, turning the doorknob and flicking on the light.  
When he turned to look at his bed, he froze.  
“Evening, Smit.”

Smitty blinked at the person in front of him, his mind taking a few moments longer to process who it was that had snuck into his room.  
“Brian?”  
The Alpha was sitting on his bed, his eyes boring into the Omega.  
“How was your evenin’? Yer boyfriend trapped in any prisons?”  
Smitty swallowed. A heavy weight filled his gut.  
“I...I know it wasn’t Brock…”  
He managed to stutter, his eyes wide and wings tense.  
Brian scoffed before standing up and taking a few steps toward Smitty.  
“Good, then we’re on the same page.”  
The Alpha continued his steps forward.  
Smitty could sense the anger radiating off of Brian in viscous waves and cringed lower.  
The Alpha’s voice dipped to a growl,  
“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Smitty felt his heart stop for a second before resuming at double the speed.  
His hands trembled and all traces of alcohol left his mind.  
“Wh-wh...n-no!”  
His lips refused to work with his panicked mind, his throat tightening as Brian’s gaze narrowed.  
“Evan might be too much of a coward to push for the truth, but I’m not Evan.”  
Brian took one last looming step over the quivering Omega. His bright eyes were sharpened to daggers and a smirk pulled devilishly at his lips.  
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Smit. Just admit it.”  
Smitty could feel a whine pulling at his throat. He attempted to hold it back, but it slipped through his words.  
“I-I-I d-didn’t at-tack J-Jonathan.”  
The whimper trembled with terror, and Brian snarled at him.  
“Fine. **Tell me the truth, Omega**.”  
Smitty felt his body stiffen. The icy words stabbed his heart and tears leaked down his cheeks.  
The feathers on his wings were the only thing that still quivered.  
The words pulled themselves from his throat.  
He had no control, no resistance.  
“It wasn’t me.”  
The words were so clear and calm, they felt vile to be coming from his own mouth.  
But it was the truth all the same.

Brian glared at him for a moment longer, then let out a sigh.  
“ **Relax**.”  
Smitty crumpled to the floor. His breathing was ragged and his lungs heaved for breath as Brian took slow steps toward his vanity.  
The Alpha picked up the propeller hat that sat on the smooth wood.  
“Great. We’re down to two.”  
Brain said softly.  
Smitty glanced up at the Alpha, and slowly stumbled to his feet.  
“Wh-what do w-we do n-now?”  
Brian glanced at Smitty, then smiled while looking back at the hat.  
“ _We_?”  
Brian took a step toward Smitty and shoved the hat into his chest.  
There was a snap of muffled plastic.  
“ _I_ am going to continue investigating all the damned Omegas until Evan knows for a _fact_ that my Brocky is innocent. You,”  
Brian shoved Smitty away and walked toward the door.  
“Can do whatever the-”  
“Brian!”  
Smitty and Brian froze, their stares locked on the open door.  
A Beta rounded the corner of the hallway at full speed, his brown hair ruffled and blue eyes wild.  
“There was an attack on one of the piers! Get your stuff together!”

Smitty stared at Scotty for a moment before turning toward Brian.  
The Alpha nodded, then glanced at Smitty one last time before hurrying toward the armory.  
Scotty vanished further down the hall, opening doors to relay the message..  
Smitty stared at his lucky hat.  
The propeller had snapped in half, the sharpened blades of plastic hanging limp.  
He slowly pulled the hat over his head and adjusted his 3D glasses before entering John’s room, the light already on  
They had to prepare.

***

Evan had blinked at the alarm on Anthony’s screen, trying to ignore the clock in the corner of the screen that screamed _3:42 am_.  
The Beta had called him in after security camera footage showed a herd of Alphas swarming toward the pier, and from what Evan could guess, it was the Canaries again.  
“Evan!”  
The gang boss had turned to see Tyler panting, his hair ruffled and bags dark under his eyes.  
“Scott woke me. How many?”  
Evan had turned back toward the screen, Tyler coming up beside him. The gang boss had ignored the stench of beer on the Alpha’s breath.  
“Looks like twenty, maybe thirty.”  
Tyler had nodded.  
“Who should I organize?”  
Evan had chewed his top lip. His mind had been somewhat hazy, and his lack of sleep had been trying to catch up to him, but he had forced it away.  
“We’re going to need everyone who can fight. Tell Scott to wake the others.”  
Tyler had nodded, before dashing away.

Then, as Evan made his way downstairs, he could smell the alcohol that had tainted the breath of his men, and he could see the cans and bottles that were scattered across the kitchen.  
He just hoped everyone could think clear enough to aim and shoot. 

Everyone gathered in the armory quickly, and as Evan was strapping his bulletproof vest on, he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
An almost sober Tyler pulled him to the side, his bright eyes scanning the guys to make sure most of them were sobering up.  
“Everyone is awake and getting their things together except Jonathan,”  
He reported after a moment. Evan paused.  
“Why not Jonathan?”  
Tyler glanced at the drowsy Omega standing in the farthest corner of the room. He rubbed his eyes as Smitty brushed him with a wing.  
“We don’t know if he can handle himself,”  
Tyler reasoned, looking back at Evan. The gang boss faltered. He had forgotten Jonathan hadn’t joined them on a mission yet.  
“It’s too dangerous to bring him. I say we leave him here and-”

Evan shook his head, silencing Tyler.  
“I don’t trust him alone with Brock.”  
Evan said, finishing the last strap on his vest.  
“Let’s bring Jon. Don’t give him a weapon, but give him a vest, and keep him behind protection.”  
Tyler stared at him for a moment before nodding, then stepped away to greet the half-asleep Omega.  
Evan stared at Jonathan for a moment, watching as Tyler helped him get a vest on as he listed instructions. Jonathan glanced at Evan, and the gang boss turned away.  
He needed to focus.  
Jonathan will be safe. He won’t be near Brock.  
Evan hesitated with his last thought.  
He was reluctant to leave Brock at the base alone.  
But Brock has never done anything irrational in the years we’ve known each other…  
Until recently…  
Evan shook the thoughts away. He wasn’t dealing with this argument again.  
His eyes caught on a pair of gray wings and he felt his shoulders relax.

“Ohm!”  
The Omega turned his hazel gaze toward Evan and hurried over, finishing the straps to his own vest as he asked,  
“What is it, Evan?”  
“I need you to stay here and keep an eye on Brock. We can’t risk him escaping.”  
The Omega’s hands hovered over his last strap as he blinked, then nodded slowly. He seemed reluctant as he began to unstrap the vest.  
“Oh...of course. I’ll protect the base.”  
Evan placed a hand on Ohm’s shoulder and smiled. He could feel his eyelids attempting to force their way closed, but fought it harder.  
“Thank you. If anything happens, call me. We’ll come back immediately.”  
A small smile pulled at Ohm’s lips and he nodded an affirmative.  
Evan dismissed the Omega and grabbed his shotgun off the wall.  
He checked his ammo, then ushered everyone to the vans.  
It was time to take back their piers.


	18. Chapter 17

Luke clutched his gun tightly.  
The jostle of the van as Scotty drove kept pulling him out of his thoughts before drowning in them again.   
_It wasn’t Brock._  
How had Ohm been so confident?  
He knew Omegas had some sort of strange connection with each other, but for all of them to be so convinced it hadn’t been Brock had unnerved him.   
It had to be an Omega, right?  
So who was lying?  
Was one of them mimicking the rest to blend in?  
Or had Brock really attempted to kill Jonathan, and the other Omegas just couldn’t wrap their minds around it?  
The van jostled again, and Luke held his gun tighter.  
The Alpha checked the window next to him, seeing vague shadows and shapes as the thin moon illuminated the early morning.  
He could see a mass of horns and antlers weaving between containers and boats. It looked like a new shipment had arrived, the boat still tied to the docks as the Alphas raided its contents.  
He glanced at Smitty beside him.  
The Omega had been staring at the sniper in his hand practically since they had left, so Luke placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.  
Dark eyes glanced up curiously.  
“We’ll be okay, we’ve done this hundreds of times before,”  
He reassured, ignoring the stone of worry that sat in his gut.  
Smitty attempted a weak smile, but his gaze quickly fell back to the sniper.  
John glanced at Luke from Smitty’s other side before looking down at his suppressed pistol.  
Luke ground his teeth together before turning his gaze to his own gun, a sniper rifle.  
He hated the unease that seemed to follow the gang since the attack on Jonathan.   
He wished he could hold Ohm, or at least see him with his lucky twin pistols.  
Luke felt a smile pull at his lips as he imagined the Omega firing off rounds.  
His boyfriend had always managed to make anything look hot.  
Luke looked up as the van stopped.

Doors were thrown open and wings pounded the salty air.   
Bullets tore through the crashing waves.  
An Alpha fell to the asphalt.

\---

Smitty grit his teeth as he glared through the scope on his gun.  
His wings pounded the sea breeze in rhythmic strokes, his arms adjusting to aim at the Alphas below.  
He loved shooting while flying.  
The other Omegas preferred landing before taking their shots, but Smitty liked adjusting his height and distance as needed.  
Plus, he felt like a badass.  
Smitty heard a bullet whiz past his head and flicked his scope toward an Alpha with a gun pointed at him.   
He found his crosshairs and pressed the trigger.  
The body crumpled and Smitty felt a smirk tug his lips.  
He glanced down at John, seeing the Alpha let out a cheer as he gunned down a few more.  
A few of the others glanced at him cautiously, their warnings long worn out on his ears from previous missions.

Smitty took aim at another Alpha when fire exploded through his left wing.  
He let out a gasp of shock and pain before he began spiraling down.  
He attempted to stabilize himself, but it only resulted in the crackling of fragile bone.  
His mind fogged with agony as his sniper clattered to the asphalt.  
“Fuck…”  
He choked, eyes clenching shut as the wind buffeted around him.  
How high had he flown?  
He was bad at remembering to stay low.  
Smitty could hear someone shouting his name.  
He wrapped his good wing close to his body, his tattered wing hanging limp in the air.  
Something caught him.  
His eyes fluttered open to find himself two meters above a crate and about four from the ground where his sniper lay dented.  
His propeller hat had fallen off and droplets of crimson decorated it’s colors.  
The broken plastic shifted in the ocean breeze.

“Smitty!”  
The ground brushed his wing ruffly.  
Pigeon feathers ruffled closed.  
A pained Omega Whine erupted from his throat.  
Arms enveloped him and held him close.  
Smitty blinked his eyes open to see John hugging him.  
Their embrace quivered, and Smitty wasn’t sure if it was him or the Alpha that was shaking.  
“You’re such a fucking idiot…”  
John breathed as Craig grabbed a first aid kit.  
Smitty felt a smile try to pull its way to his face, but when the pigeon-wing pried his left wing open, his body curled into a ball.  
Another Whine tore his throat and John released the Omega.  
Smitty forced his eyes to stay open as John stood up, his face red with anger as he looked at Craig.  
“LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE!”  
John roared, grabbing at the jacket that Craig wore.  
“John, I’m trying to help him!”  
Craig shouted back, trying to rip the Alpha’s hands off of him. Craig’s hands brushed Smitty’s wing and his body trembled as another wave of torment washed over him.  
He held back another Whine with all the strength he had left.  
“John, let Craig go!”  
Brian darted over to hold John back, and after another moment, Tyler appeared to tear John and Craig apart.  
“Craig, fix him up quickly, we got more Canaries pushing in.”  
Tyler ordered, calling Luke in to pin John to a wall so the others could continue the fight.  
Craig didn’t respond as he knelt beside Smitty.  
“The one fucking time…”  
Craig muttered under his breath.  
He dabbed a bloody cloth over Smitty’s wing.  
“Of course Brock isn’t here.”

Smitty glanced at his wing to watch Craig work.  
It had gone numb from the constant flow of agony.  
Tears streamed his cheeks as Craig attempted a bandage.  
The mental walls he attempted to put up to block the pain deteriorated slowly.  
Smitty had thought he would be fine.  
He had thought he could persevere.  
Time came to crawl as knives seemed to slice through his wing.  
His sobs were drowned out by gunfire.  
The sun began to cut through the sky, spilling the cloud’s blood.  
Scarlet dripped down Smitty’s arm where he dug his fingernails into his skin.  
His 3D glasses laid discarded beside his bloody hat and dented gun.  
John let out inhuman bellows when Smitty screamed.  
His white hoodie was stained pink with blood.  
White and pink feathers twitched in the sea breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not sorry :3


	19. Chapter 18

Jonathan stared at Smitty in horror.   
Tyler had ordered he stay by his side, but after the dove-wing has spiraled from the sky, the Alpha had dashed back toward the vans.   
Jon had watched Craig barely catch Smitty before nearly colliding with the ground himself, Brian catching the pigeon-wing after he dropped the injured Omega.   
Tyler had watched with an unreadable expression as his icy eyes followed the path of the pigeon-wing.  
John’s reaction to Smitt’s whine had startled Jonathan, the Alpha nearly impaling Luke and Tyler in his struggle to reach the fallen Omega.

The other Alphas let out occasional growls as bullets ripped through the air.  
Smitty had fallen still.  
Craig diligently wrapped the wound that leaked crimson.  
Only John could be heard over the gunfire, screaming the Omega’s name until his throat was raw. 

A hand rested on Jonathan’s shoulder and he glanced at the owner.   
Evan’s eyes hovered over Smitty before glancing back at the jay-wing.  
“Come on, the Canaries are beginning to retreat.”  
Jonathan glanced at Smitty, then let Evan take him by the hand back toward the vans.  
The gunfire continued to burn as Jon followed the gang boss.  
Jonathan didn’t notice his fingers lacing with the Alpha’s as he tried to calm the fear that boiled in his chest.   
They reached the van and Evan ushered him inside before closing the door behind him, leaving Jonathan in the silence of the van.   
His bright eyes followed Evan as the Alpha hurried back toward the dock.

Jonathan closed his wings, dragging his fingers over the blue feathers.  
Images of Smitty’s broken wings flashed behind his eyelids, and he shuddered.  
He never wanted to imagine how it would feel.  
There was a rustle outside and Jonathan looked up to see John carrying Smitty toward the van.   
The Alpha’s expression was steely as Evan opened the door for him.  
John laid Smitty next to Jonathan before sitting beside him, pulling the dove-wing back toward his chest.  
John rested his chin on Smitty’s head, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.  
Jonathan could smell John’s rain scent neatly shrouding Smitty’s milk and cherries.

The crackle of bullets died out.  
Guns were thrown in the trunk, along with Smitty’s hat and glasses.  
Jonathan stared out the window as the guys filed into the vans.  
They drove in silence.

\---

John clutched Smitty tightly, a spark of fear igniting at every bump thinking the Omega would slip from his fingers and never wake up.  
The addictive smell of milk and cherries danced around his mind in calming cycles.  
He had to catch himself from slipping into sleep.  
John had glanced a few times at Jonathan, the Omega either staring out the window or scanning over Smitty’s bound wing.  
John repositioned Smitty so that the Omega sat on his lap almost bridal style.  
Smitty cooed softly in his sleep, warmth pooling into John’s stomach and a smile gracing his features.  
He looked over Craig’s bandaging, wishing he could take off several of his rings to gently caress Smitty’s feathers.  
The bullet had shattered through the muscle near the middle of his wing, tearing dozens of the Omega’s pearl-colored feathers off. The bandage wrapped heavily around the wound, sloppily holding the bones together.  
John felt a weight on his heart as he looked over the messy bandages.  
 _Brock would have done it better._

The shadow of the garage arched over the car as they pulled into their house.  
John glanced down at Smitty to ensure his hold on the Omega as Brian opened the door from the outside.   
John carried his boyfriend inside, pausing whenever Smitty let out a small whine.   
Nobody protested behind him.  
When he reached the living room, he sat down on the couch, allowing his straining arms to relax slightly. Smitty nuzzled into John’s chest as John listened to the movements of the people around him. 

He could hear Marcel checking on Scotty.  
He heard Nogla answer a phone call from Lui.  
He heard Ohm tell Evan that Brock had eaten his breakfast before falling asleep.  
He heard Craig call after a silent Tyler.

John glanced out the large window that looked over the city.  
Through the glimmering and excited lights, he could see the sun spilling its bloody light over the waking city.   
Smitty stirred slightly in his sleep.

“How is he?”  
John looked up to see Evan, the Alpha sitting beside him to look Smitty over.  
“I...I think he’s okay.”  
John said quietly. Evan hummed an agreement.  
John gently threaded his fingers through Smitty’s tangled hair, frowning at the lack of its usual softness.  
Evan stayed quiet for a long time before he asked quietly,  
“Do you want me to take him? I know how to wrap a broken wing correctly.”  
John glanced at the boss, then back at Smitty’s wing.  
“Is it...is it not correct?”  
Evan shook his head, then pointed at the bandages that bound the wound closed.  
“These are bandages to stop bleeding, not heal a wing. Although, they might get the job done, if you trust Craig. Or, I can take him for an hour and confirm he’ll heal correctly.”

John scanned Evan.  
He didn’t know what he was looking for, maybe a hint of lying, maybe a glint of ill-intent?  
However, Evan just seemed...tired.  
His usually neatly combed hair was frazzled and clung to his antlers. Dark bags hung under his glazed eyes and his clothes looked like he had slept in them, or maybe he hadn’t slept at all.  
John nodded slightly, shifting the sleeping Smitty into Evan’s arms.  
John watched the gang boss slowly stand before carefully walking toward his office.

Jonathan, from where he had paused by the stairs, followed Evan with his eyes until the Alpha and Omega vanished behind the sturdy oak door.  
John watched the blue-winged Omega glance at Luke and Ohm before hurrying up the stairs.  
John pulled a jule from his pocket, taking a long drag of the candy-flavored smoke before releasing it from his nose and mouth.   
His mind seemed desperate to cling itself to Smitty, and however much he would’ve loved running into Evan’s office and stay by the Omega’s side, he knew it was best if the Alpha worked in silence.   
Instead, he found his mind wandering after the Omega that had again fled to his room.  
Why did he spend so much time upstairs?  
Was he avoiding someone?  
Did he know who the attacker was and just let Evan lock Brock up?

John took another puff from his vape.  
That seemed unlikely. Sure, Jonathan hadn’t been there long, but John had seen enough of him in the slow moments of the days to know that Jonathan likely had a different reason for not mingling with the others.  
John turned his green gaze back toward the window, watching the sun rise as the sky ebbed back into its usual, pale blue.   
Maybe after the attack, Jonathan felt he couldn’t trust anyone.  
Smoke curled around John’s horns as it leaked from his nose.  
That seemed to make the most sense.

John watched the traffic as it accumulated in the cramped streets below.  
He gently prodded his train of thought as he filled his lungs with candy clouds.   
The others waited patiently for Craig to address their wounds as they spoke in quiet conversation.  
Some returned to bed.  
Some cooked up breakfast.  
Some stood out on the balcony, allowing the cold morning to chill their arms and soothe their injuries.  
Nobody noticed the door to the stairs silently open and close.


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry this is so late. I got really sick and I guess I lost track of time.  
> Secondly, I want to thank my writing wife @Books_Bring_You_To_Wonderland for helping me get more of this story fleshed out!  
> She needs lots more love! <3
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Evan carried Smitty as gently as he could to his office, painfully aware of Jonathan’s eyes on his back.  
He tried to shrug off the Omega’s stare, opening the door and slipping inside. He sat Smitty down on the sofa in the back of the room, then ran a hand through his hair. As a sigh leaked from his lips, he glanced at his watch.  
_6:32 am._  
He could hear some of the other guys starting small talk, and the distinctive click of a door upstairs.  
_There goes Jon again._  
Evan let out a small groan as he let the Omega invade his thoughts.

Since he had met Jonathan a few days ago, it was like his mind had been stuffed full with azure plumage. His few hours of sleep that his exhausted body had forced him through were crowded with falling feathers. The addictive scent of lavender and vanilla seemed to smother him wherever he walked, and the cling of perfect blue eyes had him drowning in seconds.  
Evan ran a hand over his face, forcing thoughts of Jonathan away as he took in the ivory-colored Omega that slept in his office.  
He could handle that predicament later. Now, he needed to handle the problem in front of him.

His gut gnawed at his heart as he was reminded of the reason he had offered to take Smitty in the first place.  
Evan knew of all the dark glares that Brian sent him.  
He had seen the skeptical glances from Tyler, John, and Marcel.  
His own conscience had worn away at his anger until his heart filled with guilt.  
He glanced at his desk, where a picture frame laid flat.  
He picked up the frame, looking at the smiling faces that stared back up at him.

It was him and Brock in the Omega’s old truck, a couple weeks after they had started their life on the run. Evan was smiling as he held the camera in an awkward selfie, Brock’s lips quirked in a smile as he relaxed in the driver’s seat. The lights of the city they would soon call home glinted in the far distance behind them, the setting sun burning their faces gold.

Evan stared at his own features of sleepless joy in the image as he sat with his longest best friend.  
He had been so trusting and confident in their friendship.  
Evan felt the weight in his chest lift slightly.  
He knew what he needed to do.

 

Evan cracked his office door open, scanning the living room and kitchen for the guys.  
John was still on the couch, vape trails twirling around his hair and antlers. Brian was leaning on the balcony, his icy stare on the traffic below. Tyler had his eyes glazed over as he watched a nearly muted tv. Scotty and Marcel hovered over pans of bacon and eggs. Craig wrapped a scratch on Luke’s arm as the Alpha watched the same screen as Tyler.  
The rest of the gang appeared to be upstairs, returning to their broken sleep.

Evan stepped away from the door, not risking the click of the door alerting anyone.  
He didn’t want anyone to know what he was doing just yet, he wanted to do this alone. 

Returning to the sleeping Smitty, Evan carefully scooped up the Omega before slowly pushing his office door open a bit more. He crept toward the door to the stairs, repositioning Smitty slightly so that he had a free hand to twist the doorknob without a sound.  
Quick as he could, he slid into the stairwell before shutting the door behind him.  
Evan let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, then cautiously took each step one at a time until he reached stable floor. 

His body felt like it was at war with itself.  
His stomach filled with anxiety.  
His heart pumped guilt through his veins.  
His legs screamed for him to flee.  
His mind was a swirling whirlwind filled with contradicting thoughts and actions.  
He steeled his expression as he opened the door to the prison.

Evan’s senses were met with a wave of old fear, blood, and faded lemon and creme.  
There was also the faint smell of bread and butter as Evan neared Brock, a plate of crumbs sitting beside an empty cup that once held water.  
Evan delicately laid Smitty on the floor, then grabbed the ring of keys that hung beside the door.  
He selected the key with Brock’s cell number and twisted the lock open.  
The barred door swung open with an eerie creak.

Smitty groaned softly and Brock stirred from where he slept on the cement floor.  
Evan made a mental note to get mattresses for the cells, even if they were for temporary residents.  
“Brock,”  
Evan said softly, kneeling beside his oldest friend.  
His heart cracked as more guilt spilled over.  
Dirt smudged Brock’s clothes and his hair was laced with tangles. The feathers in his wings lay askew and he shivered in his sleep.  
Evan was a disgusting person to let his friend reach this low point.  
The Alpha swallowed, then laid a gentle hand on Brock’s shoulder.  
“Brock, it’s Evan.”

The Omega let out a nearly silent whine before sitting up.  
Smitty’s healthy wing twitched in response, but the dove slept on.  
Evan guessed he’d be waking soon.  
Brock blinked heavily as he heaved in a deep breath, turning his green gaze toward Evan.  
“E-Evan?”  
Fear flickered to life in his eyes and he pushed himself away from the Alpha.  
“Wh-what are you doing?”  
The gang boss could sense more questions bubbling into the Omega’s mind, but Brock held them behind his tongue. Eva took a step back, giving the frightened Omega his space.

He cells around him flickered to a rotting building for a moment.  
Brock’s eagle wings glinted blue.  
Green eyes blinked into terrified cerulean.

Evan blinked and the bars of the cells returned.  
He glanced at Brock below him, shoving the strange flashback away before kneeling where he stood.  
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words were heard.  
Evan cleared his throat, swallowing the lump that had formed.  
“Brock, I… I’m sorry.”  
The confession was more difficult to speak than Evan would have liked. Then again, the shackles on Brock’s wrists were probably tighter than _he_ would have liked…  
“ _Fuck_ …”  
Evan pulled the key ring from his pocket and unlocked Brock’s chains, the Omega watching him carefully. As soon as he finished, Evan took another step back, letting Brock rub his raw wrists and have a bit more space to himself.  
Evan sat down on the concrete floor, running his hand through his own mess of a hairstyle as the Omega watched him still.  
“Evan,”  
“Wait,”  
Evan cut Brock off, one hand trying to wipe away the tears that were building at the corners of his eyes and another held in the air to stop Brock from continuing.  
Evan took a deep breath to attempt to compose himself before dropping both hands.  
“Brock, I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I just- I...I was so worried about Jonathan that I guess all my judgment got clouded up, and now I’ve got you locked down here instead of with Brian and you were sleeping on the floor, and you’veonlyeverbeennicetomeandthisiswhatIdo? I’msucha-”  
“Stop.”  
Evan froze, realizing that he was starting to speak so fast his words were practically tripping and smudging over each other.  
“S-sorry.”  
He mumbled, dropping his dark gaze to the floor.  
Damn, he really was an ass.

“Evan, look at me.”  
The Alpha closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  
He didn’t want to see the anger and betrayal on his friend’s face.  
“Please…?”  
Evan hesitated, then lifted his eyes.  
Brock was sitting in front of him, a bit closer than when Evan had looked down, but still considerable space between them. The Omega’s features were gentle, his lips pulled in a soft smile he took in the crying Alpha. His eyes held no malice, and he tucked his wings neatly behind him.  
“Ev, I’ve known you for long enough to know that you can be a thick-skulled idiot that makes dumb choices that put yourself and others in unneeded danger.”  
Evan felt his shoulders slump as he dropped Brock’s gaze.  
“However,”  
Evan glanced back at the Omega, the bright friendliness flowing steadily into his eyes.  
“I also know that you do what you think is the best for all of us. And if that meant that me, a potential threat, got put away for a while, then I understand why you would do it. Just, think a little more on a decision like this next time.”  
Brock winked and Evan let a scoff slip through his lips.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll think it over an infinite amount of times before locking one of my most trusted friends away again.”  
Brock smiled before standing up, stretching his back and limbs. Evan stood as well, waiting for the Omega to finish stretching his wings before smiling sheepishly.  
“I’m so stupid…”  
Evan mumbled. Brock chuckled, ruffling Evan’s hair.  
“I mean, I won’t deny it…”  
Evan giggled at Brock’s comment, punching the Omega lightly on the shoulder.  
“Shut up.”  
They laughed for a few moments before a small voice croaked,  
“So...Brock’s good?”


	21. Chapter 20

Brock jumped slightly at the new voice, and Evan chuckled before kneeling down.  
Smitty was sitting up, rubbing his puffy and dry eyes as he looked between Evan and Brock.  
“How do you feel?”  
Evan asked the dove, keeping his voice soft.  
Smitty rolled his shoulder, stretching his good wing before wincing.  
“I-I’ve been better.”  
Brock knelt beside Evan, his green eyes scanning the Omega’s heavily bandaged wing.  
“What happened?”  
“A bullet hit his wing and snapped it in half. Do you remember how to bandage wings?”  
Evan glanced at Brock, the Omega’s lips pressed into a thin line.  
“Of course. Go get me some fresh bandages while I unwrap these. Want some pain killers?”  
Brock glanced at Smitty after his question, the dove scoffing.  
“Does John vape?”  
Evan smiled, quickly slipping out the door and up the stairs. He glanced around the kitchen and living room, seeing most of the guys sitting at the table as laughter spilled from their lips.  
He hurried toward his office, grabbing the first aid kit inside before snatching a bottle of water from the fridge. He then scampered back toward stairs, hoping he got away without being spotted.  
After Evan practically flew down the stairs, he entered the room with a smile.  
“Got the stuff,”  
He commented, watching as Brock gently unwrapped the bandages. Smitty winced a few times, but didn’t complain. Evan passed the injured Omega some pain meds and the water, which Smitty drained quickly. 

Brock worked quickly, binding the broken wing to Smitty’s side in repetitive swipes.  
When he finished, he helped the Omega to his feet, holding him a moment longer to ensure he had his balance.  
“Keep that wing closed, obviously. Check in with me every morning and evening, but at _least_ every morning to replace your wrappings. Otherwise, it should take about a month for the bone to fully heal.”  
Smitty’s shoulders slumped, and he asked,  
“Will I ever be able to fly again?”  
Brock smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
“Of course. It will be stiff after all this time to heal, and you may have to relearn a bit of how to fly again, but you will be able to return to your shenanigans eventually.”  
Smitty brightened at those words, then stiffened and turned to look toward the stairs.  
“I smell bacon.”  
He muttered finally, looking back at Brock and Evan.  
The Alpha laughed, then gestured for the two Omegas to follow him back up.  
When they reached the top of the stairs, Evan opened the door, no longer caring if someone saw him.

Most of the guys were still at the table, although some had moved toward the living room as Mario Kart was being booted up.  
Brian was the first to notice the three come up from the stairs.

Evan saw the Alpha’s features drop in shock, his fork of eggs in hand being quickly discarded as he dashed over to envelop his mate. Brock grunted from the impact, but Evan could see them both squeezing the breath from each other. When they finally pried apart, Brian held Brock’s shoulders, a wide, joyous smile on his face.  
“I knew you’d figure out the trut’, Evan!”  
Brian said excitedly, glancing at the gang boss. Evan smiled, glancing to his other side to see John gingerly hugging Smitty and whispering small comments along the lines of, “you stupid bitch”, “you had me so worried”, and “you are never leaving my side again”. 

Evan felt eyes bore into him, and he turned to see Tyler eyeing the surrounding Omegas, as well as motioning with his head that he wanted to speak with Evan.  
The gang boss slipped through the growing crowd of happy Omegas, although Jonathan was still nowhere to be seen.  
Evan noticed the Alphas and Betas also gave the Omegas their room, maintaining a valley of space between the excited feathers and the uneasy antlers.  
When Evan finally got close to Tyler, the longhorn pulled him farther away from the rest of the guys.  
“Evan, what are you _doing_?”  
He hissed, his light eyes darting from Brock to the gang boss. Evan glanced at the Omegas as well, then let a sigh leak through his lips.  
“I...I overreacted the other day. Brock would never hurt any of us.”  
Evan looked back at Tyler, who huffed in annoyance.  
“I agree with you. However, I don’t think this was the best idea.”  
“Why not?”  
Evan countered while crossing his arms.  
“Because now there is no one to blame. Now, everyone is going to avoid the Omegas for fear of one of them snapping and killing them, including Jonathan.”  
Evan’s steely countenance faltered.  
They both knew Tyler was right.  
“Then...what do we do?”  
Evan’s voice was weaker than he wanted it to be, but he needed to know what Tyler was thinking.  
The Alpha hesitated for a long moment before saying quietly,  
“We do nothing. For now, let’s relax and be glad that we have our gang back together and that we’ll all live another day.”  
Tyler glanced at the flocking Omegas before nodding.  
“Let’s get their minds off the attack. I’ll keep watch over the group and let you know if I see anything suspicious.”  
Evan opened his mouth to argue, but Tyler looked set on his decision. Closing his mouth with a nod, Evan thanked Tyler before letting his eyes dart back toward the Omegas.  
His gaze locked with Brock, who gave him a wide, appreciative smile. Evan tipped an imaginary hat toward his oldest friend before leaning against the wall.  
His dark eyes found their way up the stairs that lead to the bedrooms, where he could smell a faint trace of Jonathan.  
He’d have to invite the Omega to their impromptu party.

***

Jonathan stared at his ceiling as he mulled things over, sprawled across his bed.  
He could hear quiet chatter on the floor below.  
The conversing of traitors among backstabbers.  
He sighed, smothering himself with a pillow as he let out a conflicted wail.

Jonathan knew not everyone downstairs was set on killing him, but the one person that was was enough to make his wings twitch and heart pound.  
For the first time in years, he had begun to trust those around him only for them to yank it away.  
For the first time in years, he had felt himself relaxing around Alphas.  
For the first fucking time he thought maybe he had finally gotten away from his damned good-for-nothing insecurities only for some shithead to come and ruin it all over again!  
Jonathan screamed into the pillow again, flailing his legs in the air like he was thrashing at an invisible opponent.  
The Omega sat up, clutching the pillow to his chest.  
He wished he had never found the letter from Evan.  
He wished he had never joined the BBS.  
He wished he had never seen Smitty hurt.  
...  
He wished he wasn’t an Omega.

Jonathan sighed, sitting up and resting his face on top of the pillow in defeat.  
He wanted someone to hug.  
Someone he could spill all his problems to without fear that they’d cut his throat.  
Jonathan’s mind sifted through candidates before pausing, and he muttered,  
“I want-”  
“Jonathan?”  
The Omega nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden knock and voice at his door. The smell of pine leaked through as the voice called out again,  
“Jon, can I come in?”  
Jonathan paused, then said meekly,  
“Sure.”  
The door opened, revealing elk horns and a curious pair of coffee eyes. A small smile blossomed on his lips when he saw the Omega.  
“Hey, everyone is hanging out downstairs, you want to join?”  
Jonathan swallowed, then asked,  
“Will everyone be there?”  
At Evan’s nod he sighed, burying his head further into the pillow. A gentle hand rested on his back and Jonathan glanced at the Alpha.  
“I know you’re still scared of the other Omegas, and that’s okay. If you want, you can chose someone to be next to the rest of the day, and I can make sure they never leave your side.”  
Evan sounded hopeful, and his messy hair seemed to have torn down his usual professional aura for the day.  
Jonathan’s eyes flickered toward the floor, trying to think of who he would want to be next to the rest of the evening before sheepishly looking up at the gang boss.

“Can...can I stay with you?”  
Evan had been one of the few who Jon felt he could trust, one of the ones who had proved they considered Jonathan important. Evan, Tyler, Macel, and Luke. They were the people who had proved they were willing to risk themselves protecting him. Jonathan would have chosen one of the other three, but Craig and Ohm were always around Tyler and Luke, and Jonathan didn’t want to third wheel on whatever escapades Marcel and Scotty got into.  
However, there were also the other Betas, like Anthony and Nogla who Jonathan wouldn’t mind being near….

“O-or Anthony, if you’re busy.”  
Jonathan muttered, glancing back at the carpet. He heard Evan chuckle beside him before the bed dipped.  
“I don’t mind at all.”  
Jonathan felt a blush crawling up his cheeks when Evan smiled warmly, but he shoved it down and cleared his throat before standing up.  
“So, what are we doing?”  
Evan stood up as well, stretching his arms before saying,  
“I know I heard someone mention baking sugar cookies, and I think some of the others were planning on some video games.”  
Jonathan nodded, tucking his wings close to his body to hide how tense they were.  
“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter might be a little late, and I apologize in advance! <3


	22. Chapter 21

As Jonathan and Evan reached the last steps of the stairs, Jonathan’s eyes widened and his wings tensed tightly.  
Brock and Brian were in the kitchen, Brock helping Brian knead some cookie dough as the Alpha’s face flushed with embarrassment and affection.  
Jonathan’s heart pounded in his ears, eyes darting over the other members of the gang.

Nogla paced the area around the table with his phone to his ear, a bright and excited smile on his face as a pink hue etched its way onto his cheeks.   
Marcel and Scotty were seated beside Tyler and Craig, all of them with remotes in hand as Mario Kart started up. Marcel glanced out at the city every few moments, watching the sun blaze the sky and glint off buildings and cars before returning to the game and playfully jabbing at Scotty.   
Tyler seemed to brush off any small remark Craig made, with the Omega’s wide smile seeming to fall with each ignored comment.   
Smitty and John stood out on the porch, the bandaged dove-wing chuckling as the Alpha made shapes with his vape smoke.   
Anthony was dashing between the kitchen and living room, stealing cookie dough and poking fun at Tyler and Scotty.   
Luke and Ohm were nowhere to be seen.

Jonathan found his gaze back on the eagle-wing in the kitchen. Nobody seemed to realize the Omega _convicted with attacking him_ was just standing in the kitchen, flirting with Brian.   
“Jon? You okay?”  
Jonathan was pulled from his mind at Evan’s question, turning to see the tired Alpha’s eyebrows scrunched in worry.  
“W-why is…”  
Jonathan lost his words, one foot already preparing to run up the stairs. Brock glanced up at the pair, smiling with a wave before turning back to the cookie dough he was rolling out.   
Jon could feel his feathers trembling when an arm snaked its way around his shoulders and pulled him to face Evan.  
“Jonathan, you’re okay! I’m right here.”  
The jay-wing blinked, realizing how quick his breathing had gotten before he tried calming it. Evan rubbed his arm while speaking soothingly.  
“There you go, you’re alright. Deep breaths.”  
Jonathan nodded, then with one last sigh he relaxed. However, all of his instincts screamed for him to run upstairs, and the only reason he didn’t was because of Evan’s securing grip.  
“You alright?”  
Evan asked finally, worry thick in his voice. Jon nodded, then glanced back at the kitchen.  
Brock was helping Brian choose some cookie cutters.   
“Why is Brock here?”  
Jonathan heard the words fall from his mouth before he could register them, but turned toward Evan for an answer anyway.  
The Alpha’s gaze darted from the kitchen back to Jonathan, before he took a deep breath.  
“I let him out. He’s innocent.”

Jonathan blinked, Evan’s words seeping into his still frenzied mind.  
 _Brock is free. He’s innocent._  
Jonathan didn’t like the pool of doubt that filled his gut.  
Sure, he hadn’t known Brock or anyone for long, but how did they know?  
“Did you Alpha Command him?”  
As soon as Jonathan’s hasty whisper touched the air, Evan’s eyes widened.   
“What? Of course not!”  
“Then how do you know he’s not lying?”  
Jon didn’t _really_ mean for his question to tumble out as abrupt as it did, and cringed when Evan stiffened.   
The Alpha’s glare darkened, and his lowered words made the Omega shiver.  
“I don’t need to use an Alpha Command to trust one of my oldest friends, Jonathan.”  
Jonathan swallowed the whine that attempted to crawl out, then sent another look toward Brock and Brian in the kitchen.

Nogla and Anthony had joined the couple, giggling and beaming as they cut stars, hearts, and gingerbread men out of the cookie dough. Nogla sported several flecks of the sugary dough, Anthony not faring much better as the dessert dappled his face. Brian had flour covering his hair and clothes, Brock’s dark wings paled with the same powder.

Jonathan turned his careful stare back to Evan, the Alpha clearly still irritated by his question. Sighing, Jonathan straightened his back and rustled his wings, shaking them free of tension before scowling at Evan.  
“I may not know them like you do, but I hope you know them well enough to find out who attacked me before they hurt someone else. Or worse.”  
Jonathan paused, watching as Evan’s face contorted into a confused worry. Before the Alpha could speak, the Omega nimbly bounded up all the stairs and receded into his room, where he locked the door behind him.

***

Smitty nearly fell as his flushed face could do nothing but snort in laughter at John’s antics. The Alpha was smirking as he tossed empty water bottles and beer cans off the balcony, whispering a “yeet” before bombing the unaware strangers. The both of them dove away from the edge after each startled yelp, muffling their laughs behind hands as a few people tried to yell up at them. It took Smitty several minutes before he could breathe again, wiping happy tears from his eyes. Once he quieted down though, he looked up to see John watching him with a smile.   
“What?”  
He challenged playfully, cocking a brow.  
“You’re so pretty when you laugh.”  
John said softly, leaning against the railing. Smitty felt heat dust his cheeks, but the blush faded when John’s smile fell.  
“I can’t believe I almost lost you.”  
The comment was hardly a breath, and for a moment Smitty doubted if he had actually heard it. However, his doubts were dashed when John took a deep breath, turning to look over the city as he hid the tears rolling down his cheeks. If Smitty had been anyone else, he knew they wouldn’t have noticed John’s distress.  
The two of them had spent so much time with each other that they were the only ones who could read the other like a book.  
Smitty felt his heart ache as he looked at the man in front of him.

His bleached hair was swaying in the city breeze, green eyes holding all of the emotions he hid from the others.  
The Alpha used the excuse of filling his lungs with his vape to wipe away at the salty streams.  
The sweet-smelling cloud billowed playfully in front of him, a few tendrils snaking around his antlers.

“John, I’m still here,”  
Smitty said softly, moving to lean his head softly on John’s shoulder. He felt the Alpha relax slightly, then wrap his arm around Smitty’s waist.  
“I know,”  
John sighed, his voice cracking slightly. He swallowed and cleared his throat, turning his gaze back toward Smitty.  
“I never want to see you hurt again.”  
The Omega couldn’t help the scoff that slipped from his mouth.  
“John, we’re in a gang. Getting hurt is a normal thing.”  
John stiffened and turned back toward the city, taking another drag from his vape.  
He didn’t say anything as the cloud blossomed from his lips, but Smitty could see the beginnings of a plan building itself in the Alpha’s eyes.  
“John, whatever you’re thinking won’t work.”  
“You don’t know that.”  
Smitty hadn’t expected such a quick response, and frowned at his boyfriend. John chanced a glance at him and sighed as he closed his eyes.

“Smit, I love you. You know that, right?”  
Smitty felt his wings tense, but still nodded softly.  
“Of course.”  
“Then I need you trust me.”  
John opened his eyes again, he emerald depths almost drowning Smitty.  
 _Almost_.  
“John, you gotta give me more than that. Trust you on what?”  
“Damnit Smit, that works in all the romance stories.”  
Smitty smiled, lifting an eyebrow again as he took in the small smile on John’s lips.  
“Come on John, I’m a special case,”  
Dropping his usual playfulness, Smitty asked,  
“What’chyu thinkin’ about?”  
John took another lungful of his vape before answering.  
“Maybe….maybe the gang life isn’t for us.”  
“What?”  
“Just think about it,”  
John challenged, holding his hand up to stop Smitty.  
“We could settle down in a small house somewhere, somewhere outside Los Santos. We could have a family, get a dog…”  
John paused, his eyes dancing back over the view of the city.  
“And then you would be safe. You would be safe and I wouldn’t have to- to stress over the hovering threat of someone killing you!”  
John ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath and heaving it out in a heavy sigh.  
“I just need you safe, Smitty.”  
The Omega blinked, letting the words seep into his brain before shaking his head.  
“John, we can’t leave! Our friends need us, our _family_ -”  
“They aren’t _actually_ our family!”  
John snapped, slamming his hand down on the railing.  
“They’re just...just people. They’re just people we live with because we share the same _temporary_ job.”  
“The Gang is a lifetime commitment John, we can’t just pack up and leave!”  
“Yes we can. I know a guy.”  
“And how long until Evan, or Tyler, or- fuck I don’t know, _anybody_ finds the guy?”  
“He won’t spill.”  
“What if they just follow our fuking scent? I’m an _Omega_ John, and we both know that Omega Heats are going to start flaring up all around the fucking planet in about 2 week’s time. Then, one of the Alphas goes beserk, and both of us are either dead or worse.”  
“I wouldn’t let that happen.”  
John’s growl snaps something inside Smitty.  
“You say that John, you fucking say that and yet this morning, when I was five feet away from my fucking death, you did nothing but stare! Yes, I could have died today, but I didn’t, all because my _family_ saved my goddamned life a second time.”  
John stared at Smitty, tears swelling in his eyes that he didn’t bother to hide.  
Streaks of salty lava flowed down Smitty’s cheeks, but he hardly noticed. The Omega’s voice returned to its lowered state, although his words were anything but calm.  
“I have a family that I need to take care of, because right now somebody is trying to kill Jonathan, and I am going to find out who. With or without you.”

John stared at Smitty in a stunned silence for several moments.  
“So that’s what this is all about,”  
He finally muttered quietly, hardly loud enough for Smitty to hear.  
“This whole fight is just to figure out this stupid ‘whodunnit’ drama? Smitty, it’s not even your problem!”  
“Then how long do I wait until it is, John?”  
“None! We can leave right now!”  
“I’m not ditching my family! Get that through your thick ass skull!”  
“I’m leaving with or without you.”  
Smitty paused.  
John had said the statement so matter-of-fact that it chilled Smitty to the bones. He ignored the sensation to scowl.  
“You’re just scared. Well, _Bambie_ * you can do whatever you want. We’re through.”

_((*Bambie is a derogatory term for Alphas))_

Smitty whirled around, marching into the building. A sigh followed him inside.  
“Smit, babe, I didn’t mean that and neither did you. Let’s just-”  
“No, John.”  
The Alpha froze at his words, and Smitty could feel the curious eyes of his friends, his _family_ burning into his skin as he whirled around to face the Alpha.  
“I mean it. If _that_ is your main goal, then I want nothing to do with it. With _you_. See you never.”  
Smitty stormed up the stairs, his good wing flapping angrily behind him as he listened to the tense silence that had settled downstairs.   
He slammed his bedroom door closed and locked it, collapsing onto his bed.

He laid in a heavy silence for a few minutes before the adrenaline finally started to wear off.  
And when it did, a stone filled his heart.  
 _What did I do?_  
The thought attempted to burn through his subconscious, but his eyelids were already heavy with the amount of tears he had already shed.  
His mind ebbed into a restless sleep, and he fell into a nightmarish dream.  
His thoughts were tainted with murderous shadows.

Blue feathers were dappled in droplets of crimson.  
A gunshot echoed seemingly forever.  
Antelope horns trembled as sobs filled his mind.

Smitty jolted upright, his tired eyes wet with new tears.   
_I need to protect Jonathan._


	23. Chapter 22

Jonathan lifted his head from his sketchbook when he heard the door beside his own slam close.   
The neighboring room fell silent   
Jonathan strained his ears to listen downstairs, not hearing anything down there either.   
_What happened?_  
He felt his curiosity attempt to pull him out of his room, but his instinct of staying put held him tighter. He returned to his notebook, again attempting to draw one of his molted feathers.   
After another few doodles, his pencil hovered over the paper.  
A knock gently prodded the door.  
The Omega’s blue gaze flickered toward the door, his nose twitching slightly as he took a deep breath of the scent that leaked under the door.

“Jon? Can...can we talk?”  
The jay-wing blinked at the quiet, broken voice, milk and cherries tainted with distress beginning to flow steadily from the door.

The lock opened with a click, and Smitty’s pale face peaked out from behind the door.  
His white hair stuck up in odd places, and his black hoodie hung unevenly off his shoulders.  
“What’s wrong?”  
Jon asked softly, his eyes darting up and down the hall to make sure there wasn’t anyone else before settling back on the injured dove-wing.   
“I...I just broke up with John.”  
“What? Why?”  
Jonathan opened the door wider, his wings already opening to bring the hurt Omega in for a hug.  
 _But what if he tries to kill me?_  
The thought made Jon hesitate as Smitty sniffled.

“He wanted me to mind my own business and ignore that you were ever attacked...and I wanted to make sure that you were safe.”  
Jonathan blinked, then pulled the hurting Omega close.  
Arms were quick to wrap around his shoulders, squeezing him tight as his azure hoodie grew wet with Smitty’s tears.  
“It’ll be okay,”  
He cooed, pulling the dove-wing away to look into his chocolate eyes.  
“I mean...I’ve never been in a relationship before, but I know that if John isn’t the one, you’ll find them eventually.”  
Smitty wiped at his tears, a scoff was tugged out of his throat.  
“I’m older than you, I should be giving _you_ advice.”  
Jon smiled, closing the door and locking it again before sitting on his bed, pushing his sketchbook out of the way so Smitty could sit beside him.  
“I mean, you’re 20, right? So I’m only a year younger than you.”  
Smitty hummed in acknowledgment, a small smile pulling at his lips. 

However, the smile only lasted a blissful moment.  
“Jon, I want to help you with this...this whole ‘attacker’ situation.”  
Jonathan stiffened slightly, trying to hide it by returning to his sketchbook and pencil.

“Evan had already figured out who it was. Why did he let him out?”  
Jonathan dropped his pencil after asking the question, looking back at Smitty in dismay.  
“Because Brock isn’t the attacker,”  
Smitty said confidently,  
“He wouldn’t do that.”  
Jonathan huffed, mumbling a quiet,  
“That’s what everyone’s saying.”  
Smitty either didn’t hear him or ignored the comment.

“That leaves either Ohm or Craig as the attacker. But how do we-”  
“What about you?”  
Jonathan didn’t stop the question after it had bubbled into his mind.   
He didn’t feel like hiding his paranoia anymore.  
Smitty paused a moment, his warm eyes locking onto Jonathan for a moment before saying,  
“Brian Alpha Commanded me to tell him the truth. Ask _him_ if you have any doubts about my trust worthiness.”  
Jonathan swallowed before nodding and turning his blue gaze back to his sketches. 

“So, how do we figure out who did it?”  
Smitty asked after a tense pause of silence.  
“Why don’t we ask one of the Alphas to Command them?”  
Smitty flinched at Jonathan’s question, his good wing twitching at the thought.  
“No. One of them may have tried to hurt you, but they are both our friends and fellow Omegas. I don’t go anywhere near Brian after he did...that.”  
Jonathan sighed, remembering when the Canaries had taken away his speech, and even when James had made him tell him what happened.  
He hated the way he felt like a puppet.  
Strung up for any Alpha to control him.  
He again wished he wasn’t an Omega.

“Alright, no Alpha Commands,”  
Jonathan sighed.  
“Then what do we do? I had finally found a place I could call home, and then they take it away from me. I feel like I can’t trust anyone anymore, except...maybe you now.”  
Jonathan could feel Smitty’s sad stare, but didn’t look up from his drawing of a rain-covered window. The rough sketches of an Omega sat beside it, staring off into the graphite sky.

“You can trust Evan, and I know-”  
“No.”  
Jonathan cut the dove-wing off before he could keep listing names.  
“I...I ruined that. _The attacker_ , ruined that.”  
There was a long pause before Smitty sighed.  
“Then trust me. I will never do anything to go back on my vow of protecting you.”

Jonathan glanced at the Omega beside him, his heart tense with distrust.  
The dove-wing’s eyes were still puffy with tears, his white hair messy and tangled.   
He had readjusted his black hoodie so that it fit him correctly, the old design faded from use.

He looked...normal.  
Nothing like the spunky and bright Omega that Jon has been introduced to the first day.  
No propeller hat spun with childlike glee and no 3D glasses added the dash of innocent perception.  
Smitty was drowning as much as he was.  
Jonathan sighed.  
They were trapped in this god-awful situation together.

“Alright. I trust you.”  
Jonathan said finally, brushing Smitty gently with a wing.   
He didn’t notice Smitty flinch away from his cerulean feathers.

“N-now that that’s done with,”  
Smitty started, smiling as he pointed at Jonathan’s sketches.  
“Where the hell did you learn to draw so well?”  
Jon looked down at the loose doodles and felt his face heat up, quickly flipping to a blank page.  
“U-uhm...nowhere. Just lots of long, lonely days at my old place.”  
“Well, they are amazing!”  
Smitty said with a half smile.  
“Th-thanks.”  
Jonathan stuttered.

He had never shown his drawings to anybody, but he guessed Smitty was the perfect one to start with.  
He took a deep breath, flipping back through the pages as his own small smile graced his lips.  
Through Smitty’s surprisingly patient questions, Jonathan could feel his heart opening more, bit by bit.  
However, he knew most of it would be kept under heavy lock and key.  
Trust was hard to earn through his new azure veil.

***

Luke had whisked Ohm away after Evan had gone upstairs.  
He couldn’t wait another moment.  
He needed answers before they ate their way out of his mind.  
So, ignoring the confused look Ohm gave him as he lead the Omega into the meeting room, he locked the door behind them.

“Luke? What’s going on?”  
“How did you know it wasn’t Brock?”  
Luke hated how desperate the question burned through him, and he was about to start begging his boyfriend for answers when Ohm spoke again.

“What?”  
“How did you know? You were so confident and...and it baffles me!”  
Ohm’s expression slowly shifted from confusion to understanding.  
“I knew it because Brock is my friend, he would never do that.”  
“You and I both know that just because someone is a friend doesn’t mean they are innocent.”  
Luke couldn’t hide the growl that laced his words as the image of the blonde-haired Omega flashed in his mind.   
Ohm flinched from the memory before steeling himself and hissing,  
“Brock isn’t like that. He couldn’t hurt a mouse!”

Luke sighed, taking a step back and running a hand through his hair.  
His emotions sparked and flared like firecrackers.  
He wanted to demand clearer answers.  
However, he didn’t want to aggravate Ohm more than he already was.  
They were both off their game.

“Well, someone did. An’ if I ever find out who it was...they’re going to be sorry.”  
Luke could feel his inner Alpha flaring up and calmed it down, taking slow, deep breaths before looking back at the Omega.   
Ohm was watching him warily.   
Tha Alpha sighed.  
“I know y’all are really close, but I need you to be honest with me. Has anybody been acting suspicious since the attack?”  
Ohm paused a moment, his hazel eyes staring at the carpet for a long while before shaking his head. Luke nodded grimly.  
“Alright. Thanks for talkin’ to me. This whole...situation, has my nerves in a twist.”  
Ohm looked up with a shrug, a small smile pulling at his lips.  
“It’s fine, I understand.”  
Luke smirked, pecking a kiss on the sinfully perfect lips of the Omega’s.  
“Stay safe. Anything suspicious happens, you tell me, and I break some bones. Understand?”  
Ohm’s cheeks stained a faint red as he rolled his eyes.  
“I know _mom_.”  
Luke chuckled, catching Ohm’s hand in his own before unlocking the door and slipping back into the living room.


	24. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in chapters!  
> I have exams and have been really drained lately.  
> Hopefully, this will suffice you for a while until I get the next chapter posted!  
> Hope you enjoy! <3

Nogla couldn’t lose his smile for the rest of the evening.  
He had baked a few misshapen but well-intended cookies with the help of Anthony as Brian and Brock caught up on events (and their flirting).  
He had pointedly ignored the quiet argument that had happened on the stairs.

Then, while the cookies were baking, him and Anthony had played Mario Kart after Craig had claimed to be tired and Tyler claimed to be bored with it.  
He had hoped Scotty would start the next race when Smitty was yelling at John.

Then, when the cookies and icing were ready, Nogla had excitedly hopped up to help decorate them, along with everyone else.  
Even Luke and Ohm had returned from wherever they had disappeared to join in the fun.  
He tried not to let his eyes land on Evan’s office, where the boss had vanished into.  
He dragged his eyes away from the vape cloud on the balcony as the murmurs of a phone call were heard.

Luckily, it was easy to forget the dreary fog that seemed to be enveloping the gang one by one when most of them had icing smeared on their faces.  
It also helped that Lui would be arriving in a few days.

“What are you thinking about that has you all blushy?”  
The Irishman smiled brighter at the voice, turning to look at Marcel beside him.  
“None a’ yer business.”  
Nogla said as he smeared icing on a lopsided star.  
“Five bucks it has something to do with Lui.”  
Scotty said with a smirk from next to Marcel.  
“Keep yer nose outta my business!”  
Nogla snapped, his smile still tugging at his lips.   
“So when’s he arriving?”  
Marcel asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.  
Nogla huffed, then mumbled,  
“Soon. He isn’ sure when Kite is goin’ to let ‘im slip off, but he said it’ll be this week.”  
Marcel nodded, him and Scott turning their attention back to the cookies at hand.   
“Kite. He’s like, the Canaries’ boss, right?”  
Brian asked, Nogla turning to look at him.  
“Yea, Lui’s hiddin’ wit’ dem ta get da inside info. Although, he’s not very high in the hierarchy yet, ‘cause da false Alpha scent can only do so much.”  
“We know the plan, Nogla.”  
Anthony said with a chuckle.  
“I was jus’ sayin’!”

The kitchen fell into a comfortable conversation.  
Brock and Brian bickered with flushed faces.  
Scotty playfully jabbed Marcel whenever he faded into his thoughts.  
Luke whispered sweet and dirty secrets in Ohm’s ear.  
Anthony stayed beside Nogla, the two of them falling into a nice cycle of icing and coating all the cookies around them in sprinkles.  
Little was spoken until Anthony spoke uncharacteristically quiet,  
“How does one find a boyfriend?”  
Nogla looked up from the cookie he was decorating in surprise.  
“Wha’?”  
The Beta shrugged.  
“Like, how do I go about getting a partner? I don’t care about whether they are a girl or a boy, or if they are an Alpha, Omega, or Beta. I just want...someone.”  
Nogla turned his gaze back to the sprinkles in hand.  
“Mmm, I’d ask Bri’n, or Brock. I’m not good at relationship stuff…”  
“Oh...ok.”  
“But,”  
Nogla said, accidentally spilling sprinkles over the counter.  
“If you manage to fin’ someone, an’ you feel like they may be da one, let me know. I’m a great judge of character.”  
Nogla sent a wink to Anthony who scoffed, but smiled anyway.  
“Yeah, great judge of character, Nogla. Is that why yer datin’ a Beta who specializes in pretendin’ to be Alphas or Omegas?”  
“Leave Lui outta this, Bri’n!”

***

Dust floated through the air.  
Stale breezes drifted through the room.  
Coffee eyes stared emptily at a maple desk.  
A pen tapped in thought.

The sun warmed the back of the sitting Alpha.  
Elk antlers twitched at the sound of laughter and yelling in the kitchen.  
The echo of a door slamming shut ricochet through his mind again.

An investigation team.  
The thought bubbled into Evan’s head again as he tried to desperately scrape together a solution plan for the current Jonathan situation.  
 _No, the current **Omega** situation._  
If he wanted the _Omegas_ to feel safe again, he needed a way to solve the “whodunnit”.  
And he was going to need help.

Evan let out a sigh, dropping his pen.   
He was going to need help, and if he was going to solve this as carefully as possible, (meaning with as little drama and ruined friendships as possible), then he was only going to trust the other Alphas.

A knock tapped at the door.  
“Come in.”  
The oak opened to reveal a dreary antelope-horn, his bleached hair mused like he had been running his hands through it.  
“Hey,”  
John muttered, his voice creaky.  
“Hey,”  
Evan said, sitting up straight as John closed the door behind him.  
“I’m heading to the Misfits. Wanted to let you know.”  
Evan nodded. It was normal for John and Smitty to visit their ally gang, although there was a lack of an Omega beside the Alpha.  
“No Smitty?”  
John just shook his head.  
“How long are you planning on staying there?”  
“Dunno. Week. Maybe two. Depends.”  
Evan frowned.  
“If we have any action will you join us?”  
John let out a huff. He still hadn’t met Evan’s eyes.  
“Sure. I’ll blast a couple guys if ya call.”  
“Alright. Drive safely.”  
John left without a word, throwing a peace sign over his shoulder before disappearing out the door.

Now they were down an Alpha.  
Evan sighed, running both hands through his hair before tracing his left antler with his hand.   
He needed a plan, but his mind was so encased in a web of feathers that he had to give up and head into the kitchen.  
They were solving this problem sooner than later. 

Evan came out of his office as another bout of laughter tumbled from the group. He poked his head in as Nogla grabbed a fistful of icing and smeared it over a wheezing Anthony’s face. The Irish Beta had green icing smudged on his own, and he smirked at Anthony’s squeal of protest.   
Evan couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips.  
His favorite part of having their gang was for these moments: his friends all laughing, trapped in a moment of perfect bliss.   
However, a splattering of blue icing brought him back to the matter at hand. 

“Alphas. Meeting.”


	25. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was dared to make this story more angsty.  
> That was after I wrote this chapter.  
> That means it gets worse.  
> Enjoy! <3

It took a moment for the herd of Alphas to wipe flour off clothes and shake sprinkles out of hair, and it took another few minutes to track Tyler down from where he had vanished on a joyride and coax him back to base. 

Eventually though, all five of them were in the meeting room, the door locked to avoid the Betas and Omegas intruding, and the white-noise speaker going to prevent them from listening in.  
The first question was asked by Brian.  
“Where’s John?”  
“Misfits. He’ll be there for about a week.”  
“What’s up?”  
Marcel asked the next question, causing Evan to sigh before leaning over the table with intertwined fingers.  
“I’m creating an investigation team to track down whoever attacked Jonathan. It’s putting too many people on edge.”  
“What’s the plan?”  
Questioned Luke.  
“I don’t have one,”  
Evan admitted.  
“That’s why I brought you all here.”  
“Why only us Alphas?”  
Evan ground his teeth at Brian’s question.  
“Because the rest of them are suspects.”  
Tyler answered, his piercing gaze sweeping the room like he expected one of them to argue.  
“Exactly,”  
Evan stated flatly.  
“So we need a plan to weed out the traitor.”  
Evan hated the way the words felt on his tongue. He sounded so accusatory and he hated it, but this needed to be done.  
For the sake of the gang.

“I say we Alpha Command all the Omegas, and if it ends up not being one of them then we’ll figure out what to do with the Betas.”  
Brian announced, leaning back in his chair.  
Marcel nodded slowly.  
“Maybe. It would be the most accurate way to find out.”  
Luke shook his head.  
“I don’t like it, it’s not fair to the Omegas. Brain, you know how Alpha Commands affect Brock, would you like it if I Alpha Commanded him?”  
A sharpened glare sliced through Evan before the pronghorn sighed.  
“No. you’re right.”

Evan nodded.  
Using his Alpha Command on Brock had been a horrible thing to do.   
Hell, trying to use it on Tyler had been stupid too.  
When had he gotten so used to Alpha Commanding again?  
Evan brushed the thoughts and memories away.  
He’d deal with them later.

“What about observing them? Watching their actions and waiting until they slip up?”  
Tyler kept his eyes on the table as he spoke, only looking up to glance at Evan when he spoke.  
“That could work…”  
Tha gang boss began.  
“That will take forever!”  
Brian shouted, throwing his arms up in exasperation.  
“It will take a while,”  
Marcel said quietly,  
“And who’s to say they won’t attack again in that time-”  
“It was a bad idea. Forget it.”  
Tyler snapped, letting out a huff before slouching into his seat.

The room was blanketed in a tense silence before Marcel suggested,  
“What if we interrogate them? Omegas first, and then Betas.”  
The Alphas glanced around as nods were passed.  
“It could work,”  
Evan commented, quickly followed by Tyler and Luke,  
“I’ll help.”  
“I like it.”  
Everyone turned to Brian who let out a sigh.  
“Without Alpha Commands?”  
The pronghorn shrugged.  
“Fine. But if we don’t get any clear answers, I’m using my Commands.”  
“No, Brian,”  
Evan scolded.  
“No Alpha Commands.”  
“Oh, so you can Alpha Command Brocky, but da momen’ you tink abou’ Commandin’ de ot’ers ya stick up fer dem!”  
His Irish accent thickened in anger and Evan felt needles prick his conscience.  
“Brian, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”  
“Apologize to Brock!”  
“I already did, you’re the one with the grudge.”

Brian glared daggers into Evan, who stared back with a cold composure.   
He already felt like shit. He wasn’t going to let the high-strung Alpha see that though, not when Evan could see the spark for a fight threatening to burn.  
A fire that would determine a new gang boss.  
“At leas’ I’m not a _fawn_ , too terrified to use the pow’r I was giv’n.”  
“Brian, sit down before I spear you myself.”  
Tyler growled.  
“No!”  
Brian snapped, snarling at Tyler before turning back toward Evan.  
“Maybe if you weren’ such a pussy, we could have tis whole attacker ting sitiated!”  
“Brian, that’s enough,”  
Luke warned. Brian ignored him.  
“Maybe if you hadn’t killed Mark and Jack, none a’ dis would’ve ever happened!”

The room fell silent and Evan was falling.  
Falling into repressed memories and tumbling through years of pain and regret.  
Tearing through mental walls until he stood where he had 4 years ago.

***

He was 17. Barely old enough to have his driver’s license and yet on the run for 2 years.   
He had Brock by his side, and fresh antlers just beginning to pierce his scalp.  
It was the early days, back when it was him, and his small group.  
20-year-old Brock.  
21-year-old Tyler and Brian.  
And 19-year-old Nogla.

They had holed up in a small house near the edge of town, and gotten a call from their allies that a small group of Alphas was trying to smuggle some Omegas overseas.  
Tyler lead them then.   
The longhorn took their small group to the pier, where they met up with Mark and his group.  
It was Mark the reindeer-horn, Jack with his conure-wings, and Beta Felix, with their newest member of about 6 months, Ohm. 

Three of them were huddled behind a crate, Jack flapping down from his perch on top to meet the others.  
“Tyler, I’m glad you could make it.”  
Mark greeted with a nod.  
“Of course, we wouldn’t miss a call for back-up. What do we have?”  
“We got ta Finches, today,”  
Jack said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder and toward the herd of Alphas.

The Finches had been the main herd of Alphas before they merged with other nearby groups, creating the massive herd named the Canaries.  
They were lead by Kite’s mate, Daisy, a canary-winged Omega.

“We found the warehouse where they’ve been storing all the kidnapped Omegas. We just gotta get in and get them outta there.”  
Felix said, checking his shotgun had bullets.  
They quickly devised a plan, and Evan was sent toward the warehouse with Mark and Jack to rescue the Omegas.   
Tyler, Brock, and Brain were supposed to attack from the outside while Ohm caused distractions to get the trio through. Felix gave Mark directions from his perch, taking out any Alphas that got too close to him or his friends.  
Evan remembered turning his earpiece down because of the deafening gunfire. 

The defenses had been stronger than anticipated around the Omegas, but eventually they were able to section off one of the huddled groups and Ohm rushed them to safety with Felix. Evan had been helping Jack untie them as Mark stood guard when there was a sudden commotion.  
Mark let out a yell that was drowned out by a sudden influx of gunfire in the warehouse, making the screaming of bullets painfully louder.  
The reindeer-horn dragged Evan and Jack behind a box of supplies, all of them wincing when several Omegas were gunned down.  
Suddenly the spray stopped, and a click of nearby heels had them poking their curious gazes out.  
Daisy stood in a circle of guards, a snarl on her face as she scanned the warehouse before snapping,  
“Well, don’t just stand there. Find them!”  
Her bright yellow wings ruffled angrily as the Alphas dispersed, Mark easily taking one down with a snap of the neck when he came too close.

“Evan!”  
Jack snapped suddenly, pulling the young Alpha away from where he had been watching one of the guards scour the area.  
“What, Jack?”  
He whispered, following the Omega’s bulging eyes to the boss Omega who stood about a meter or two away.  
“I’m going after her.”  
Jack said, not taking his eyes off of Daisy as he pulled a knife close to his chest.  
“Jack, _no_! It’s too dangerous!”  
The Omega ignored Evan’s warning, and a frantic grab at Jack’s sleeve proved ineffective as well.  
Evan’s heart pounded a panicked rhythm.  
The world seemed to move in slow motion.  
A guard discovered Mark.  
A bullet ricochet somewhere near Evan’s head.  
Jack’s hand was about to grab Daisy’s throat…  
“ **Jack, stop**!”  
The Omega froze immediately.  
Evan’s senses flared at his use of the Alpha Command.  
Daisy’s wings twitched.  
He could smell Mark’s sawdust scent flare with aggression.  
Daisy’s peach and strawberry scent danced through the air.  
Jack’s mint and chocolate scent billowed with growing alarm.

Time seemed to catch up with him as the next few seconds passed faster than he could blink.

Mark brought down another guard.  
Daisy turned at the sound of an Alpha Command.  
She stared at Jack in surprise before a smirk pulled at her wine-red lips.  
The canary-wing grabbed Jack’s knife as she giggled.  
Evan was frozen to the spot.  
“You’d make a pretty penny, feather boy,”  
She taunted.  
Mark let out an annoyed snarl at the corpse that sat beside him.  
“Shame you were dumb enough to try to kill me.  
She swiped the blade across Jack’s throat before shoving him away.

A line of sparkling crimson dripped from his neck as his body convulsed.  
His desperation to live fought the Alpha Command.  
“Sean!”  
Mark yelped, his hands shaking at the sight of his mate.  
“You’re all so foolish…”  
Daisy cooed, holding the bloody knife losely in her hand as she smirked.  
“Monster!”  
Mark roared, launching himself at Daisy.  
The sniper shot made Evan flinch.  
The reindeer-horn collapsed in a heap on the floor.  
His fiery eyes of hatred burned into Evan, even if they hadn’t been meant for him.  
Jack let out a long whine as he stared at Mark’s corpse, his quivering fingers reaching for his mate’s before they fell lifeless.  
His blue eyes dripped with pain and tears as they glazed over.

“Evan! You need to evacuate!”  
Tyler’s voice suddenly rang over his earpiece.  
“B-but Mark…”  
“Now! Evan!”  
Tyler snapped again, quickly muffled by automatic gunfire.  
Evan dashed for the exit, sending out shots from his pistol as he ran as fast as he could.  
He forced Felix and Ohm’s desperate cries for their friends out of his head.

The rest of the day was a blur.  
A blur of pain.  
Grief.  
Loss.  
Evan remembered sitting at a funeral and vowing to never use an Alpha Command again.   
He broke that vow.  
He broke it when Jonathan needed to be freed from the Canaries.  
He had only hesitated for a moment before those blue eyes dragged it out of him.  
Severing the vow he had held for 4 years.

***

Evan blinked as he was pulled from his mind.  
His vision was blurred with tears.   
He could hear growling, and he wiped frantically at his eyes until he could see who was standing over him.  
A panting and heavily Alpha-scented Tyler stood over Evan, protecting him from a wounded Brian who was sulking in the corner of the room.  
“What...what happened?”  
Evan croaked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.


	26. Chapter 25

Tyler had stood up when Evan had crumpled to the ground.   
"Evan?"  
Marcel called out in concern.   
The gang-boss's eyes were wide, staring at an unseen foe as he trembled like a leaf.  
Tyler ground his teeth as he knew exactly what was flying through the Alpha's mind, his own memories flickering to life before he shoved them away.  
"Brian, what the hell was that?"  
Luke yelled as he stood up as well. However, he was stopped by the pronghorn.  
His expression was unreadable.  
"Don't fohkin touch him."

Brian had his eyes locked onto Evan's trembling form, and Tyler could see his inner Alpha flaring angrily in his eyes.   
"Hey, fuckface!"  
The longhorn called, glad he could catch the eyes of their friend, if even for a moment, to let Evan recover.  
Although, if he was still down, he would need some help pulling himself out of it.  
Or he would be in his head until whatever he was reliving ended.  
"Drop it. Leave the past in the past and let's get this stupid 'attacker' situation taken care of, alright?"  
Brian's blue eyes seemed frozen over when he smirked at Tyler, his sharpened canines poking out from his lips.  
"Careful Ty, Ev'n won' be the Alpha fer much longer,"  
As he spoke, he took slow and confident steps toward the trembling Alpha.  
"You'll be taking orders from me once I'm through with 'im."

Tyler took the few, quick strides it took to stand in front of Evan, glaring down the equally sharp stare from Brian.  
"Leave him alone, Brian."  
His growl rumbled deep in his voice, hesitant, but there.  
Brian only scoffed as his metallic scent of iron started to grow stronger.  
"Move Tyler, I'll only rough 'im up. Enough tat I'll lead da gang."  
"You're a fucking idiot if you think I'm moving,"  
Tyler snarled, flaring his own scent glands until the area around him smelled like he was standing on a beach.  
"You're too impulsive, Brian,"  
Tyler continued, trying and failing to keep his hair flat as Brian took another step forward.  
 _What the hell is wrong with him?_  
"You're going to start a fight you can't win, all because you can't get over your god-awful ego."  
Tyler knew he was treading dangerous waters now, but with the pronghorn flooding everywhere with his scent and the challenge of a fight in his azure eyes, his own Alpha was beginning to rear its ugly head.  
"A fight I can't win, huh?"  
Brian was licking his teeth.  
Tyler could smell the constant flow of panic from Evan.  
"You're on, _cuhnt_."

Brian was strong and confident.  
He lowered his antlers and charged.  
However, Tyler was smart, and not nearly as caught up in the situation as the pronghorn.   
He locked his horns with Brian's, using his height to toss the Alpha back toward Luke as the kudu took several steps back.  
"Last chance, Brian!"  
He snapped as the pronghorn turned back to face him.  
"Shut up, cow!"  
Brian yelled before charging again.   
"Fuckin' asked for it,"  
Tyler said under his breath, again catching Brian's antlers and this time sending a kick into the chest of the pronghorn. Brian blocked it, but he was still winded when Tyler kicked him away.   
With a growl, he leaped back toward Tyler, managing to slice Tyler's arm with his horns and making the longhorn snarl. Tyler swung his horns toward Brian, cutting a crimson line into the pronghorn's shoulder. As Brian hissed in pain, Tyler threw a punch into his chin and knocked the Alpha off-balance. Tyler swept Brian's legs out from under him, causing the pronghorn to land with a huff and another gasp of air as he again lost his breath. With a foot on his chest, Tyler glared down at Brian.  
"Give up, Brian."  
Brian's breathless expression shifted into a smirk.  
"How 'bout no?"  
He kicked at the leg not holding him down, Tyler teetering to catch his balance as Brian spun to his feet and shoved the longhorn, however, he had already collected himself enough to not fall. Brian raked his nails down Tyler's chest and the longhorn let out a low growl.  
"Playing dirty, are we? I'll show you fucking dirty."  
Brian barely had a moment to react before Tyler threw another punch at him, sending a kick back into his chest that sent the pronghorn reeling as Tyler sliced up his chest and tore his clothes to shreds.  
Brian landed on his back, Tyler stomping on his bloody chest before he was pulled off by Marcel.

"Alright! That's enough, Tyler!"  
The deer-horn yelled, spinning Ty around to face him.  
"You've won. If he tries more shit, Luke and I will take care of it."  
Tyler stared at Marcel for a moment before nodding.   
He took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned back toward Brian who was crawling into the corner of the room, holding his bloody nose as his body began to bruise.  
Marcel took a few steps away, allowing Tyler to glance at Evan.  
Tears fell from the Alpha's eyes as he trembled on the floor.  
With a sigh, Tyler turned back to the other Alphas in the room.  
His scent stayed strong as Brian's and Evan's grew weaker.

He was the boss of the gang now.  
Evan was down for the count, too trapped in his mind to be of any help.  
Brian was foolish enough to challenge him.  
Luke and Marcel averted their eyes when he glanced at them.  
They accepted his new rank.

Tyler could smell a shift in Evan's scent behind him, the fear receding into the normal pine.  
“What...what happened?”  
He croaked, his confused gaze drifting toward the dominant Alpha in the room.  
Tyler stared at him for a moment before saying,  
"Brian attempted to take your rank as gang boss. I defeated him."  
Evan, still wiping wet eyes, glanced around the room before back at Tyler,  
"So you are..."  
"The new gang boss,"  
Tyler finished, raising his head higher under the elk's gaze.  
"You have been deranked."

Evan's eyes locked onto his own for a moment, and he could sense the feeling of remembrance.  
When Evan had fought him for the rank 2 years ago.  
It had been over some foolish choice; Evan wanting to save a stranger Alpha as he was being pummeled by the Canaries for trying to protect an Omega.   
Tyler had figured it wasn't worth the medical supplies and Evan challenged him.

The fight was quicker than it should have been, but Tyler submitted after Evan pinned him to the ground.  
He was admittedly curious as to how a 19-year-old would handle all the choices and decisions, and he new he could defeat Evan if or when the time came.  
The elk passed challenge after challenge, some in more questionable ways than others.  
And the Alpha he had saved after taking charge had joined them and become a powerful member of the gang.  
Tyler will admit saving Luke had been a good decision in the end.   
However, since Evan's choice to chase after Jonathan, the Alpha had faltered in his work.  
Tyler would never admit to contemplating when to challenge Evan.

However, he didn't have to fight the elk again, as Evan also dropped his mocha eyes in acceptance.   
Tyler nodded, then said,  
"We'll wait a week. See if John is back, and if he isn't we will proceed with the interrogations anyway. You are all dismissed."

A tense sheet of silence hung over the room before Evan stood, brushing off his clothes and opening the door.  
He paused, glancing back at Tyler with a smile.  
"Congratulations with your new rank, boss."  
He headed out the door, quickly followed by Marcel.  
"Luke,"  
Tyler called before the kudu could reach the door.  
"Call Brock in here to grab his mate."  
Luke disappeared with a nod, and Tyler flicked the white noise machine off.

"Good luck finding the attacker,"  
Brian snarled from his corner, Tyler sending him an icy-dagger gaze.  
"You're going ta fohkin' need it."

Tyler didn't say a word, just moved out of the way as Brock dashed into the room, his widened eyes flickering to Tyler before he began tending to his mate.  
Tyler walked out and into his new office.  
The stuffy room was full of Evan's pine scent, and several layers of distress.  
Tyler sighed, intensifying his scent to fill the room before walking over and opening the window.

The hum of traffic quickly filled the room, along with waves of fresh air.   
He sat down, his sigh the only sound in the room for several moments.  
He had a week before they attempted to solve the inner-fighting.  
Until then, he could focus on the growing activity from the Canaries, and talk to Lui to see why they were growing more aggressive.  
It was _his_ job now.


	27. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back with the next chapter!  
> I should be able to maintain a schedule of updating every Sunday, so I'll see you next week!  
> Hope you enjoy! <3

The sound of car horns could be heard from the propped open window.  
A breeze played with silk curtains.  
Pearl and azure feathers twitched in the cold.

Smitty yawned as he stretched, slowly lifting himself from the sky blue sheets he was tangled in.  
Jonathan let out a quiet snore from where he was sprawled on the other half of the bed, only partially covered by the sheets Smitty had subconsciously buried himself in.  
Smit giggled softly, pulling more of the blanket onto his friend before standing up.  
His foot made contact with a discarded chip bag, the aggressive crinkling making him cringe before he looked back at Jonathan.  
The jay-wing shifted slightly, but quickly settled back into sleep. Smitty sighed, a smile quick to pull itself onto his features. 

He nudged the chip bag into a pile of others, chuckling at the stack of other empty snack bags that littered that corner of the room.  
Jonathan hadn’t left the safety of his room since he had fought with Evan (which had been one of the many stories the two had shared) three days ago, and since then Smitty would just bring in whatever snacks and food Jonathan requested.   
Then, the two would watch internet videos, play games on the Xbox Smitty had brought over from his room, and Jonathan had even taught Smitty a few tricks about drawing and painting.   
It had been nice, relaxing and blocking out the world for the hours they spent together.  
However, Smitty would eventually leave the haven to get food, and he would ignore that glances he got from all the Alphas.  
The only one who tried to speak to him was Evan, constantly pressing questions into his temple about Jonathan; but Brock would usually usher Evan away and give the dove-wing two plates of food before sending him on his way.  
Jonathan would usually scarf his food down quickly, then snack on the store of chips and cookies that Smitty had stolen from the pantry until Smit wouldn’t let him have any more. In fact, if Smitty thought about it, the two of them had been eating quite a lot-

Three knocks on the door.  
“Smitty? It’s me, Brock. I brought breakfast.”  
The dove-wing slipped toward the door, opening it enough to reveal the eagle-wing holding two plates of syrup-drenched waffles.  
“Thanks, Brock.”  
Smitty cooed, eyeing one of the plates.  
“Don’t forget your forks!”  
Brock said with a chuckle, handing Smit the utensils he had managed to balance under one of the plates.   
“Thank you!”  
Smitty said with a smile, placing both plates and forks on the dresser behind him.

“Tell Jon good morning for me,”  
Brock said as he waved goodbye, closing the door behind him.  
Smitty smiled, taking a deep breath of the homemade waffles before turning to look at the shuffle of sheets behind him.  
“Who wazzat?”  
Jonathan mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.  
“Just me getting breakfast,”  
Smitty purred, careful to not spill any syrup as he handed Jonathan his plate.  
“Aw, thanks Smit.”  
He said with a lazy smile, beginning to cut his breakfast with his fork. Smitty smiled as well, sitting beside the jay-wing and cutting himself a bite.

The dove-wing had learned the hard way that Jonathan still didn’t trust Brock, the Omega refusing to eat anything the eagle-wing prepared in fear of being poisoned. However, Smitty had quickly figured out that if he told Jonathan _Nogla_ had prepared the food, he would happily eat whatever had been prepared for them.

“What do you want to watch today?”  
Jonathan asked after swallowing his first few bites. Smitty took his time chewing, knowing full well how much Brock and the others wanted Jonathan to leave his room…  
But what harm could come from a few extra days of avoiding the outside world?

“Dunno,”  
Smitty finally answered,  
“Let's scroll through Netflix.”

It only took a minute or two before Jonathan had finished his food, and he was eyeing Smitty’s with a hungry look.  
Finally, after choosing Dumb and Dumber, Smitty slid his half-finished plate of food toward Jonathan, watching his friend eat like it was his first meal in months. His own stomach growled in protest, but he just grabbed a couple bags of goldfish to satiate himself.

Half-way through the movie, both of them had finished the rest of the food in the room.  
Which, honestly didn’t really surprise Smitty if he looked at the _mountain_ of wrappers in the corner of the room.  
“Smittyyyyyy, I’m hungryyyy.”  
“Hi hungry, I’m Smitty.”  
Smit couldn’t stop the snort that came when Jonathan glared at him, but stretched before pausing the movie and leaping to his feet.  
“We should go somewhere. Eat some fast food at a cramped table as moms scream at their children.”  
It was Jonathan’s turn to snort, shaking his head as he rubbed his hoodie sleeves between his finger and thumb.  
“Nah, I...I don’t want to.”

Smitty plopped back onto the bed, staring up at Jonathan with a frown.  
“Come on, man. I’ll scope it out and make sure we don’t run into anyone, and then we can escape to Sonic or some shit.”  
Jonathan worried his bottom lip, but the growl of his stomach seemed to answer for him.  
Smitty hoped to his feet with a small smile, opening the door with a promise in his eyes before closing it behind him.  
All senses of excitement at going to Sonic was immediately washed away as his wings tensed and he looked down the hall.  
He saw a flash a bleached hair.  
Antelope horns.

The Omega blinked, and the Alpha vanished.  
His eyes were playing tricks on him again.

Smitty hurried toward the stairs, scurrying down the steps to see who all he and Jon would have to avoid.  
When he peered into the lower floor, he could see Brock, Brian, Luke, and Ohm all seated at the table for breakfast, and Tyler was scrolling through his phone in the living room. Evan was seated nearby, channel surfing on the quiet tv.  
He could hear several voices coming from the Observation Room, and it sounded like everyone else was holed up inside, on the hunt for Canaries.  
Smitty perked up at the quiet mumblings of Lui, remembering the Beta had arrived the day prior.  
He’d have to say hello later.

Smitty took another long look at Evan, biting his bottom lip before sighing and hiking back up the stairs.  
He’d have to usher Jonathan through there quickly avoid Evan’s pressing questions.

The Alpha had been one of his closest friends before he met John, and now that his boyfriend was gone, (as he had found out the antelope had run off to the Misfits from Marcel), Evan and the rest of his family were all he had.  
All he had ever had, besides the Misfits.  
But John had been the one to introduce them to him,  
The BBS had found him on their own.

**

Smitty shivered as another chilling breeze sent ice into his blood.  
The leaves of the trees he had seen were shifting gold and orange, and pumpkin spice hung in the air.  
An Omega Whine crawled through the space around him, quickly followed by another and another like a chorus of eerie cries.  
Smitty only closed his eyes tight as he tried not to let his hands get rubbed raw by the rope around his wrists, and ignore the gag around his mouth.

He had been sipping his coffee as he walked to school.  
He hadn’t seen the masked Alphas until it was too late.

A shiver swam down his spine as the Whines were silenced by a gunshot.  
He swallowed desperately at the bile trying to rise in his throat.  
18, and locked away at an Omega Holding Center for 2 months.  
He didn’t even have parents out there looking for him.  
A father caught in the crossfire as an officer, and his mother and little sister mangled and crushed in a car crash.

He was an Omega trapped in a hopeless situation with no reason to fight his bonds.  
He just hoped his own death was swift.

There was a commotion, and after a few minutes, several Alphas and other Omegas barged into the Holding Center.  
Several of them got to work cutting ropes, passing knives to other Omegas to spread help like a disease.  
Smitty hadn’t moved from where he was sitting on his ankles.  
His wings were bound, and he hadn’t felt his feet in weeks.  
Omegas around him were flapping freely as their eyes brightened with hope.  
 _Hope_.  
Smitty had wished he could join them, but he knew that their guards would be back and their saviors would be gunned down like the other good samaritans.  
Those who were free would be shot if they resisted recapture.  
Their wings still made a pretty penny on the black market.

“Hey, let me help you.”  
Smitty looked up at the voice, seeing the friendly, chocolate-eyed Alpha with horns poking out of his raven hair.  
Smitty didn’t move as he was cut free, the Alpha helping him stand before catching him when he fell again.  
“I-I-I d-don’ think I-I can s-stand,”  
Smitty stuttered, hating how hoarse he sounded.  
“That’s okay,”  
The Alpha muttered, repositioning Smitty so he could carry him out of the container bridal-style,  
“I got you.”

Smitty had been the last one to be set free, and in his starved-state, he doubted he was hard to carry as the Alpha ushered everyone out.  
Smitty stared at the corpses of the guards who had tortured him for months.  
Their blood held no importance in his dulled eyes, but he saw several of the newer Omegas stomping on the dead Alphas, screaming lengthy strings of curses as smirks or tears ruined their dirty faces.  
He doubted he was in any better condition.

“Do you have anyone or anywhere to go to?”  
Smitty looked up at the Alpha that was still carrying him before shaking his head.  
The Alpha seemed to ponder his answer for a bit before adding, more quietly,  
“Don’t worry, we’ll heal you up.”

Smitty had nodded, not thinking much of it and taking the promise in those mocha eyes for a lie.  
However, when the young boss Evan brought him to his gang and gave him a home, and a family of 7 others; Smit slowly found himself smiling again.  
He clung to Evan like glue, and the two were like peas in a pod.  
He watched Brock and Brian go from avoiding each other, to suddenly never having enough of one another.  
He was a first-hand witness to Luke kissing Ohm the first time (and it was definitely not because he had walked into the other Omega’s room looking for his glasses), and he joked and poked fun at Nogla with Tyler as the Irishman blundered angrily at Uno Cards.

He had been the one to pull John from the mud after the Canaries attacked him on a supply run for the Misfits.

**

Smitty blinked as he took the last steps toward Jonathan’s door, shaking his head like he was shaking the memories off.  
That was the past now.  
Now, he was standing in front of Jonathan's door, offering him the same grip of help Evan had given him, even if the jay-wing didn't accept the Alpha right now.

Smitty felt his injured wing twitch.  
He'd never admit how much he hated the bandage.


	28. Chapter 27

Lui scanned the several computer screens in front of him, the black and white images flickering as the other Betas in the room scrolled through footage looking for any recent Canary activity.  
Anthony was seated in front of him with the biggest screen, then Nogla to his right and Scotty to his left. Marcel was standing behind his boyfriend, his own sharp gaze evaluating the slightly fuzzy videos.  
Craig was also in the room, his steely expression eying Nogla’s screen. However, Lui knew his thoughts were elsewhere by the twitch of gray wings. 

Lui brushed those thoughts away for later. He needed to focus.  
He had heard rumors and whispers among the ranks of the Canaries about another drug heist at the ports, and was directing his fellow Betas in that direction in hope of finding a herd or two scoping out where their ship would be arriving.

Anthony had been the one to spot them on the cameras, and turned around to look at Lui with a smirk plastered to his face.  
“Found ‘em!”  
He had called, his smile falling when he saw Lui pale.

Lui stared at the Alphas again, blinking as if what he was seeing was incorrect.  
Because...it was.  
It _had_ to be.

Slinking stealthily between containers, with horns and antlers sharpened to knifepoint, were _his_ men.  
His group of men he had _specifically_ told to avoid the ports.

Lui watched as the one leading them, his second in command, pointed at a group of sailors and they all ducked out of sight.  
“That’s them, isn’t it?”  
Anthony asked quietly. Lui only nodded as his men were on the move again.  
“Then...what’s wrong?”  
Scotty asked, his worried expression eyeing the sick-looking Lui.

He and his men were part of the Omega section.  
The only reason Squirrel would even _think_ about disobeying his orders would be if-  
“They’re searching for Omegas.”  
He said quietly.

“Why would t’ey be looking fer Omegas if t’ey’re attemptin’ a drug heist?”  
Nogla asked, clicking to another camera to follow Squirrel and the other three Alphas.  
“They’re not attempting a drug heist.”  
Marcel answered grimly, crossing his arms across his chest.

The room fell into a heavy silence as cameras flickered to follow the four Alphas.  
“Check...check 123 Playground Stret.”  
Lui asked, tapping Anthony on the back.  
The Beta quickly found the camera feed from that street, but the playground and nearby neighborhood were empty.  
“But...that’s where I heard they were meeting their buyer! There should be at least three groups scouting out places to hide out to ensure they get the money, why is it empty?!”  
Lui began pacing behind the Betas, ignoring the eyes of Marcel on him as he ran a worried hand through his hair.

“Did you hear that from a rumor?”  
Marcel questioned, his dark eyes pausing Lui in his pacing.  
“No, the Alpha above me told me that; and he gets direct orders from Kite!”  
Lui’s mind clicked into place, his pacing hesitating and causing him to stumble.  
Surely...surely that wasn’t what was happening, though...right?

“Lui,”  
The Beta turned at his name, his eyes landing on Anthony as the larger man turned back to his screen.  
“They found one.”  
Lui felt his stomach drop as the camera zoomed in on the four Alphas.

Squirrel was holding the unfortunate girl tightly, a cloth pressed to her face as her flapping wings slowed.  
It seemed she was alone, leaving the Omega an easy prey for the Alphas.  
The girl was tied up and hurried from the docks, tossed into a dark van before vanishing onto the streets. 

“That’s fucked up.”  
All eyes turned toward Craig, his steely expression now corrupting into one of rage.  
“We can’t save them all Craig, we’ve been over this before.”  
Marcel reminded the Omega softly.  
“I know we can’t save them all, but we just watched her be taken! We can follow the van with the cameras and maybe even rescue more! We-”  
“It’s too dangerous, Craig,”  
Marcel interrupted.  
“We still need to figure out why the Canaries are hunting Omegas instead of preparing for a drug route.”  
“We can deal with that later! There are Omegas that-”  
“We know there are Craig! That’s why we’re taking the safer the route to-”  
“The coward route! That’s all you are is a bunch of-”  
“ **That’s enough, Craig**!”  
The argument fell as the Omega stiffened, his shoulders to his ears as he glared daggers into Marcel.  
“ **Relax**.”  
The Alpha said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Craig’s body dropped all tension, but his eyes were still narrowed in irritation before he heaved a sigh and ran a weak hand through his hair.  
“S-sorry. I...this whole week has just been...and-and Tyler-“  
“Craig,”  
The Omega stopped his babbling, looking up at Marcel with tears brimming in his hazel gaze.  
“Go and sit with Brock or the others outside. We can handle it from here.”

Craig hesitated, then nodded slowly, hurrying out of the room and closing the door with a click.  
The room was quiet for a moment before Marcel sighed,  
“Lui.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Is there any chance anyone knows you were undercover?”  
Lui felt his blood run cold and swallowed.  
Had Marcel come up with the same possibility?

“I applied my Alpha scent and made sure my bull horns were secured before even thinking about leaving my room. There is no way-”  
“Did you re-apply?”  
Lui blinked at the interruption, then said,  
“I would after a fight, but not too frequently.”  
Marcel nodded.  
“Did you apply any today?”  
“Of course, I need to keep the habit.”  
Marcel’s nose twitched before he turned to look at Scotty, a growl rumbling deep in his chest.  
“What?”  
Lui pressed, hating the way the Alpha’s hair on his arms was rising in distress.  
Marcel didn’t look away from his boyfriend when he growled,  
“You smell like a Beta.”

***

Evan felt like he was in shambles.  
The net he had used to keep his mind in check was unraveling, and all the small tasks he would usually do were no longer his responsibility.  
He didn’t need to sort files.  
Didn’t need to listen to the police radio chatter.  
Had no reason to intrude on the Betas checking for Canary activity.

So instead, he was staring at a tv screen hoping to occupy his trembling thoughts.  
His thoughts that had been invaded by a flurry of blue jay feathers and ocean eyes.  
The same eyes that had glared at him with such resentment.

Fingernails dug into his palm.  
The drug-like smell of vanilla and lavender was now confined to his room, locked away from Evan’s toxic touch.  
_It was better this way._  
He had to tell himself that to prevent the breakdown he teetered on.

His heart clenched when he thought about Smitty.  
The Omega was caring for Jonathan and yet all he did was force questions into his chest.  
When will Jonathan come out?  
Is he eating?  
Is Jonathan okay?  
Does Jon feel well enough to leave his room yet?  
Does Jonathan need anything?  
When will Jon leave?  
Do you think you can coax Jonathan out?  
Please bring Jonathan outside!

His pleas were growing disgustingly desperate, and yet he felt like he couldn’t control himself.  
Especially when Smitty came down every day smelling more and more like vanilla and lavender.

He caught it.  
His nose found and immediately located the drowsy smell of heated cherries and warm milk dancing with a swirl of Jonathan.  
Evan looked toward the stairs in time to see pearly feathers disappearing back up the steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note to say how grateful for all the support you guys have given me with Cerulean Feathers.  
> You guys have given me more love and support than I ever thought I would and it makes me so excited for you all to see what I have in store for the next half of this story.  
> Every comment gets me giddy and every Kudos makes me smile.  
> Thank you all so very much!  
> <3  
> ~Echo


	29. Chapter 28

Evan’s eyes were trained on the stairs, but the smell of milk and cherries was already fading.   
Smitty was going back to Jonathan.

Evan tore his gaze away from the steps, but his fingernails were digging sharply into his palm.   
He needed to focus on something else.  
His mind immediately tossed several hundred crumpled thoughts at him, all of them notes and emotions he had filed away to deal with and handle later.  
Most of them he had been fixed in the several years he had been boss, but the more recent ones made the feathers in his brain twitch in agitation.  
 _Brock calling Jonathan “mine”_.  
 _My vow so easily broken for Jonathan_.  
 _Jonathan not leaving his room_.

He managed a sigh and ran a hand through his unruly hair.  
He had a bad habit of pushing things till later, but now he had nowhere to delay these thoughts.  
He knew why the azure feathers in his mind clouded his judgement.

It clung to him like a virus, never freeing him from its clutches.  
At this point, he wondered if it would ever leave.  
 _Talk to him._  
Evan’s fingers clenched tighter into his palm, tearing the skin.  
It sounded easy.  
So _stupidly_ easy.  
So _horrifically fucking easy_ , that he knew it wouldn’t work.

Something would go wrong.  
He would say something and Jonathan would leave, this time lost forever, and there was nothing-

Vanilla and Lavender.

Evan’s eyes, that he didn’t know he had closed, opened fully at the scent.  
The addictive and sweet scent pushed some of the feathers in his mind into hiding.  
An accompaniment of milk and cherries billowed in a sugary cloud around the two Omegas, and Evan looked at the stairs in time to see Smitty tentatively coming down the last few steps before beckoning someone beside him.  
A flicker of blue feathers was all it took for Evan to leap to his feet, almost tripping over Tyler.

“Evan! What the-”  
Tyler’s snap was cut off when the Alpha noticed the two Omegas at the base of the stairs.  
Smitty was holding Jonathan’s sleeve, trying to tug the younger toward the garage.   
The kitchen table fell silent.  
The jay-wing was staring wide-eyed, ocean gaze locked on Evan.

The feathers were fluttering away.  
The world was quieting.  
Evan could almost see the smell of vanilla and lavender flowing off of Jonathan in perfect ribbons.  
“Jonathan! How are you? I was so worried,”  
Evan couldn’t wipe the massive smile off his face, and Jonathan shifted his feet uncomfortably.  
“F-fine.”  
“That’s good,”  
Evan practically cooed, feeling every bit of stress and worry that had wracked his body melt away with Jonathan’s scent.  
It felt like he could breathe again.  
“Where are you headed? I want you to be-”  
“Evan.”

The elk-horn froze at his name, blinking when he realized it had fallen from Jonathan’s lips.  
The Omega’s cowardly stance was straightening slowly, prying Smitty’s hand off his sleeve before saying,  
“Can I talk to you?”  
Evan tilted his head slightly.  
“Of course, what is it y-”  
“In private?”  
Evan paused, looking around to see all the Alphas and Omegas crowding them.  
Their gazes were curious, but they all nodded and took a few steps back to give them space.  
“Take him to the meeting room,”  
Tyler said, placing a hand on Evan’s shoulder. The Alpha nodded a thanks, then lead Jonathan to the meeting room (after him and Smitty whispered between themselves for a few moments). 

Finally, Evan closed the door behind them, turning back to Jonathan with a soft smile.  
“What’s on your mind?”  
“Have you found the attacker?”  
Jonathan was watching him carefully, his arms crossed as his fingers rubbed circles into his hoodie sleeves.   
His eyes didn’t leave Evan’s.  
Evan blinked at the question, then let a sigh leak from his lips.  
“Not yet, but,”  
He held up his hands in defense when Jonathan opened his mouth, then continued.  
“We do have a plan. It’s already going.”  
Jon closed his mouth, then nodded.

“O-okay…”  
The room fell quiet, Jonathan running his fingers over his feathers as he was lost in thought.  
“Is...is Tyler the boss?”  
Jonathan asked finally, looking up at Evan with a worried glint in his eyes.  
Evan nodded, Jonathan’s features stretching in alarm as he pressed,  
“Did he fight you?”  
Evan chuckled, shaking his head as he forced the memories of that day away.  
“No no, I gave it up.”  
“Gave it up?”  
“Yes, I need time to get my own life together before I worry too much about the gang.”

Truth.  
It spilled from his lips so simply, and yet Jonathan seemed to be waiting to be told he was lying.  
“What’s so hard about your life?”  
Evan almost flinched from the venom that dripped off the words, and yet Jonathan continued.  
“You’re not an Omega, you have a dozen friends, and you _don’t_ have a target on your head! You’re life is a dream to me, Evan!”

The room was blanketed in tense silence, and from Jonathan’s stiffened wings and shoulders, Evan doubted the words were supposed to leave his mouth.  
“Jon-”  
“Don’t,”  
The Omega cut off, his body collapsing on itself and dropping his face in his hands.  
“Just...just don’t.”  
Evan slowly closed his mouth, resisting the urge to reach out and comfort the jay-wing.  
Finally, Jonathan sighed, looking back at Evan with painfully tired eyes.  
“Just promise you’ll find the attacker.”

Evan hesitated, then nodded.  
Jonathan nodded with him, then let a small smile pull his lips.  
“Thanks, Ev,”  
He mumbled,  
“I’ll go with Smitty to get some food, then we’ll come back.”  
Evan smiled as well, opening the Meeting Room door to let Jon out.  
“I’ll see you soon then,”  
The Alpha said softly.  
“See ya,”  
Jonathan muttered quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter today, but I thought I'd soften the story a bit for you all <3  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	30. Chapter 29

Gold stained the streets as lights flickered to life.  
Neon signs flashed excitedly from the nearby Los Santos.  
The faint glow of bright colors caused the sky to be frozen in partial illumination, even if the sun had long since set.  
A golden beam from a street lamp flickered.  
An echo of a gunshot slammed against crumbling buildings.  
Exchanges of goods happened quickly and with glances over shoulders.  
Houses and apartment complexes were pressed together, garages and parking lots the only things skewing the perfect lines of buildings.

Out here, the young gangs ruled the crowded streets.  
The larger ones didn’t care about the mild crime on the outskirts.  
It was out here, the band of Misfits ruled.

An Alpha stared out the window of the spare bedroom, stained curtains shifting in the breeze that leaked through a crack in the glass.  
His cotton candy vape had run out, leaving him comfortless as he rested his head against the cool glass.   
His breath clouded the window around him, his bleary eyes blinking lazily as his gaze followed slow-moving cars.

“John? Dinner is ready.”  
A voice called through the door, the draft that drifted toward the antelope-horn tinged with oranges and clove.  
“I’ll be there in a bit, Toby,”  
John answered, not taking his eyes off the sleeping neighborhood.  
The other side of his door was quiet for a minute before Toby spoke again.

“Can I come in?”  
John mumbled a “sure”, and the Omega slowly opened his door.  
The antelope-horn didn’t move from the window seat, but he did eventually turn to look at Toby at the creak of his bed.  
“Hey,”  
Toby cooed softly, a concerned smile on his face.  
“Hey.”  
John deadpanned, turning his hazel gaze back toward the window.  
“Are you...going to tell me why you’re here without Smitty yet?”

John only sighed in response.  
It had been three days and he was still struggling with leaving his room.  
He would eat, join the Misfits on their daily rounds, then go back and hide under his blanket covers as he stared at the smoggy sky.  
And even while on the streets with the other 6 people, he kept silent.

“John, I’m sure nothing good happened, but you know I’m here if you want to talk.”  
The Alpha closed his eyes, taking lungfuls of Toby’s tangy scent to soothe his nerves.  
He knew he shouldn’t bottle up his feelings, but he’d rather feel the pain in his chest than the ache of emptiness that would replace it.  
Toby waited a few moments, probably expecting the Alpha to give him an answer, before John heard the bed springs squeak again. 

“Alright, well Cam and I are heading out. We’ll be back in a few hours.”  
“Be careful!”  
John called out, turning to look at the wren-wing before he could disappear through his door.  
Toby paused in the doorframe, his blue eyes hovering on John’s panicked form before nodding.  
“We will.”  
The Omega closed the door with a click, John slumping back into the wall as he let out a huff of breath he didn’t know he was holding.  
His heart was pounding, eyelids covered in gorey images of Smitty sprawled on the ground.  
The image of the injured Omega flickered between Toby and Smit.

He let out a cry, covering his face with his fists as tears started pouring over his cheeks.  
His shoulders and hands trembled with fear and despair.  
He wanted Smitty back.  
He wanted him back more than he could’ve ever fathomed possible.  
To hold the Omega in his arms.  
Feel his pulse against his own.  
To watch Smitty’s cheeks burn as giggles racked his frame.

John’s sobs flowed steadily from his cracked heart, his usually stoick expression and steel walls crumbling to nothing.  
He was broken,  
And the only thing that could fix him was the same blade that had shattered him.

***

Tyler’s room was dark when he opened the door, silent except for the sound of running water in his bathroom.  
 _Craig must be showering._  
Tyler thought to himself, closing the door behind him with a click.  
A single beam of golden light leaked through the bottom of the bathroom door, just enough for the Alpha to see the entire room thanks to his heightened vision.   
Tyler was about to collapse onto his bed and let sleep overtake him, but the suddenly overwhelming scent of his mate made him cringe.  
The scent of honey and mangoes he had once craved now just made bile roll viciously in his stomach.

The water slowed to a drip, then there was a rustle of a towel.  
Tyler let a quiet curse slip through his lips, his inner Alpha flaring excitedly at the thought of seeing the pigeon-wing.  
There was another ripple of fabric as Tyler assumed the Omega was throwing on some clothes.  
However, every other part of his being wanted to flee, ignore his mate for a few more days…  
The click of the bathroom door opening made his body freeze, the bright golden light nearly blinding him as Craig stepped off of the tile floor and onto the carpet.  
“Oh, Tyler,”  
The pigeon-wing seemed surprised at the presence of the Alpha in _their_ room, but the longhorn still let out a huff of a greeting.  
“What...why are you here?”  
Tyler felt his hair prick at the unease in Craig’s voice, and snarled out,  
“What, an Alpha can’t sleep in his bed?”  
Craig flinched at the word “ _Alpha_ ”, and Tyler bit his tongue to stop an apology from tumbling out.   
They weren’t mates right now, and Tyler was the notorious “bad cop” in these situations.  
He was going to keep it that way.

So, with a sigh, Tyler crossed his arms.  
“But, you’re right. I am here for something.”  
Craig shuffled uneasily, running his towel over his damp hair.  
Tyler had never been more grateful that Craig always put clothes on in the bathroom.  
“W-what is it?”  
Craig asked softly, his hazel eyes sparking with hesitance and fear.  
Tyler paused, questioning if he should really do what he was about to, or crumble for his inner Alpha that wanted to hold the Omega close and tell him everything would be okay.  
But that was why he needed to do this.  
So he could make the gang safe again.  
Make the Omegas safe again.  
Make Craig safe again.

“Did you lie to Evan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	31. Chapter 30

The Omega stiffened, his eyes widening slightly before stuttering,  
“Wh-wh-what do you mean?”  
“When Brock was framed for the attack. Did you lie about what you were doing?”  
Craig’s wings ruffled uncomfortably.  
“Ty, I don’t even...that was...I-”  
“Did you attack Jonathan?”  
“No!”  
Craig stared at him wide-eyed and horrified, gray feathers trembling slightly.  
Tyler ground his teeth before snarling,  
“Do you know who it could’ve been?”

Craig wilted at the question, his wings falling limp and shoulders pulling toward his ears as his head lowered.  
“I...I…”  
Tyler felt a darkness begin to swirl through his body.  
A horrific mix of rage and betrayal as the Omega continued to stutter uselessly.  
“Craig,”  
The Omega stopped at his name, his stance crumbling further at the _dark, malicious_ , glare Tyler was giving him.  
“Answer the question.”  
“Y-yes?”  
“AGGH!”  
It took _everything_ inside Tyler not to strangle Craig.  
So instead, he grabbed a pillow of the bed and hit it against the wall until feathers filled the air, dappling the floor in lose patterns as Craig trembled.  
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?”  
Tyler whirled back toward his mate-  
No.  
 _Fuck that_.  
Tyler whirled back toward the _bitch_ of a human that was now sitting on his feet as he watched the furious Alpha.

“I...I can’t…”  
“You can’t?”  
Tyler took a step away from Craig, a hand running through his hair.  
“You _can’t_?”  
A nonsensical giggle fell from Tyler’s lips before he slammed a fist through the nearest wall.  
The plaster coated his hand and the floor as blood trickled through his knuckles.  
“You can’t, huh Craig?”  
Tyler kept his voice calm, unnerving even himself at his grip on his composure.  
“Well _I_ can’t come up with a possible reason as to not believe it was you, Craig!”  
Tyler waited for the Omega to process his words, Craig looking up with tears beginning to gather in his eyes.  
“Wh-what?”

“IT’S YOU, CRAIG! IT’S FUCKING YOU!”  
Dead silence.  
The pigeon-wing had paled, and all traces of life seemed to be draining from his form.  
Tyler continued.

“You never seemed to like Jonathan after we brought him here, even if you were one of the first to show interest in him joining us,”  
Tyler was counting on his fingers, needing to do something with his hands or risk another hole in the wall.  
“You almost _never_ spoke to him, you always kept your space away from him, and you never offered to give him shooting lessons like you did with the others!”  
Tyler was fuming, staring at the Omega that had tears flowing down his cheeks like rivers.  
His voice sounded like broken glass.  
“Tyler, I-”  
“I don’t want to fucking hear it.”  
The Alpha growled, crossing his arms and taking a few more steps back.  
“The only reason I’m not going to tell Evan right now is because I want to hear you say the words yourself,”  
Tyler’s inner Alpha was raging through his blood, his voice threatening to Alpha Command Craig.  
“I want you to look me in the eyes and say, ‘yes Tyler, I tried to kill a member of our gang. And then-’”,  
Tyler’s voice cracked, and he was suddenly aware of the tears that burned his skin.  
He ignored them.  
“‘And then I lied to you. I lied to your fucking face because honesty is worth _nothing_ to me’.”  
Tyler began walking toward the door, pausing when he reached the oak,  
“In case you couldn’t tell, we’re through.”  
Craig let out a desperate gasp.  
“No! Tyler, please! Heat starts soon and-”  
“Then you’re going through it alone.”  
Tyler growled, his eyes boring into the pitiful mess of an Omega.  
“Goodnight. I want you to tell me the truth when I interrogate you,”  
Tyler opened the door,  
“Otherwise you’re dying with a guilty conscience.”

***

When Jonathan wiped the sleep from his eyes the next morning, he couldn’t help the purr of delight that left his lips at the warm sunshine that filtered onto the bed.   
Birds let out morning calls on the fresh breeze.  
Clouds playfully rolled across the bright blue sky.  
Browning leaves were tossed without a care.  
The lights of the city looked bright and inviting.  
Jonathan couldn’t remember the last time he had looked out over such a beautiful scene.

Smitty cooed softly from where he was still bundled in his blankets, and Jonathan giggled before poking the dove-wing awake. The dove blinked his eyes open, his mocha eyes shimmering with confusion for a moment before drowsily asking,  
“What has you so happy?”  
As Smitty sat up and stretched, Jon hurried back toward the open window, taking a huge lungful of open air.  
He didn’t feel chained down anymore.  
He wasn’t constrained to his room by an unspeakable rope of fear.  
He had Smitty.  
And...and maybe Evan.  
“Autumn is starting, Smitty!”  
Jonathan cawed to the azure sky, taking another breath as he smelled sunflowers on the breeze. Smitty chuckled behind him, but came to the window to smell the fresh air.  
After a moment, the dove giggled.  
“Yeah, I guess it is.”

It was Friday morning, the breakup between John and Smit as well as Evan and Jon’s fight having occurred back on Sunday.  
It was almost the beginning of a new week.  
Almost the beginning of a new season.

“Come on, let’s go have breakfast,”  
Smitty said softly, patting the jay-wing on the shoulder. Jonathan blinked at the cars below, fingers moving to grab his hoodie sleeve.  
“B-Brock will be cooking….won’t he?”  
Smitty was quiet for a moment.  
“Well, yes. He usually does. Would you like me to ask Nogla to cook for us again?”  
Jonathan worried his sleeve between his fingers, letting Smitty’s milk and cherries scent calm his tensing shoulders.  
The sun was heating his face to an almost uncomfortable warmth, but the breeze came to cool him again.  
Now it smelled of roses.

“N-no,”  
Jonathan muttered finally, turning away from the window with a small smile,  
“L-let’s go eat. With everyone.”  
Smitty’s face was scrunched in worry, but Jon did manage to pull a smile to the dove’s lips eventually.

When the two came down the stairs, all conversations trailed into oblivion.  
Smitty lead Jonathan down the stairs, the jay’s fingers curled tightly around the dove’s for comfort.  
The last time he had held someone’s hand, it had been Evan’s.  
Smitty seemed to be trying to put himself between Jonathan and the others, acting as a meat shield as all eyes fell on them.   
The kitchen was quiet for a long time as Jonathan moved out from behind Smitty, toward where a stack of plates and waffles was sitting on the counter. After drizzling some syrup on his, (and a repeated inner mantra of “ _Brock couldn’t have known I’d take some, there’s no way these are poisoned_ ”), Jonathan took a seat between Evan and Smitty. Still no one dared to speak, and Jonathan rubbed his hoodie sleeves until Evan spoke,  
“Morning, Jon!”  
The jay-wing glanced at the Alpha to see a blinding grin that made his stomach flip, and offered his own small smile.  
“Morning, Evan.”

The spell was broken, and normal conversation began again, with several other people mentioning how glad they were to see him out of his room.  
He was even introduced to Lui, who had been standing beside Nogla when he had come downstairs. The Beta had kept a close eye on him, which Jonathan tried to ignore.  
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t doing the same.

Brian and Brock were never separated, the Alpha always running his fingers through Brock’s hair or petting his wings. Nobody mentioned the old bruises that dappled Brian’s face.  
Luke and Ohm poked fun at each other, Ohm even hiding behind Evan and Jonathan when he started a tickle fight between himself and the Alpha. A pillow was thrown at them when their lips were glued together.  
Marcel and Scotty offered to pick up lunch for the gang, their laughs and giggles filling the garage as they mumbled inside jokes. They returned an hour later with three pizzas and blushy grins as they attempted to fix their messy hair. Nobody told Scotty his shirt was on backwards.  
Lui and Nogla made small talk at the table as they finally had a break from surveillance.  
Craig hadn’t made an appearance until late into the afternoon, and even then he only grabbed a couple slices of pizza before disappearing back into his room.  
Tyler and Anthony constantly had a controller in their hands, playing sometimes with Brock and Brian or Marcel and Scotty or even Nogla and Lui as the day wore on.  
Evan and Smitty never left Jonathan’s side, and they created jokes between the three of them as Jonathan scratched lose images of them in his sketchbook. 

Nobody noticed the alarm that blinked in the observation room as laughter filtered through chilling air.  
Leaves stained yellow twitched and trembled in the wind.  
The breeze smelled like peanuts.


	32. Chapter 31

John chuckled as he listened to the old stories that were tossed over the table, the mix of second genders around him laughing as the currently speaking Beta threw his hands in the air.  
“I thought every butterfly was the tooth fairy! I waved at every fucking one like a dumbass!”  
Laughter again tumbled around the table, smiles impossible to wipe off faces even as the clocks ticked toward 4 am.

Toby was sitting between Swagger and Cam, his brown feathers trembling as he giggled at Swagger’s story. Cam had a tired grin on his lips, his gazelle horns resting on the wall behind him as he leaned his head back. Matt was stretching in his seat, narrowly avoiding chipping the paint off the cramped walls with his blackbuck horns. John was seated between Swagger and Matt, hands in his gray hoodie. He hadn’t been able to find his black one.  
Mason and Jay had been sent to bed around midnight, the teens grumbling before vanishing to their rooms.

“And then this one time-”  
“Fiiiiiitz, your laptop is being annoying again.”  
Swagger was cut off by a whine from the stairs, and all eyes trained on the cardinal Omega that was perched at the top of the steps.  
“Go back to bed Mason,”  
Cam hushed,  
“I’ll fix it in a bit.”  
“He refuses to go to bed, Toby!”  
Jay’s wail proved the young Alpha was also still awake, probably prodded awake by Mason.  
“I can’t sleeeeeep!”  
The Omega crowed again, pouting when Jay appeared and leaned an arm on his head.  
“Fine, I’ll be right there.”  
Cameron huffed, tugging the cardinal to his feet and leading Jay, the half-asleep ram-horn, back to their shared room.

In the silence of the small kitchen, John and the others could hear the sound of an alarm blaring from Cameron’s room.  
“Cam must’ve left his alarm on again,”  
Toby said with a chuckle, shaking his head with a small smile.  
“Who sets an alarm at 4:20?”  
John scoffed at Matt’s question, Swagger making a small comment about the boss doing dumb shit when he was tripping on acid. 

They waited for Cameron for a while.  
Swagger took a puff of his vape and let the white cloud stream through his nose and mouth.  
It smelled like nicotine.  
A clock ticked on the wall.  
A cricket chirped somewhere in the walls.  
John scrolled through his phone, ignoring the worried scents of Matt and Toby as orange-clove and freshly mown grass began to attack his nose.  
Swagger rapped his fingers on the table as he took another puff.  
The clock read 4:47.

“Where is he?”  
Swagger asked finally, dropping his vape on the table in agitation.  
“Dunno. Maybe he’s reading Mason a story,”  
John offered, pocketing his phone. Toby shook his head.  
“Mason’s attention span wouldn’t last this long; no offence to the kid.”  
There was a clatter and several thuds upstairs.  
Immediately they were all on their feet, Matt and Toby inching up the stairs as John and Swagger tailed them.  
The Beta pulled a few throwing knives from his black hoodie.

Matt reached the top step as Cameron sprinted out of his room, Mason and Jay wrestling over a pistol behind him.  
All three were wearing bullet-proof vests.  
“We got Alpha trouble on our port.”  
Cam barked out, loading a magazine into another pistol.  
The tense group relaxed only slightly as Matt asked,  
“Port? But the only one we have is-”  
“Near the BBS, I know,”  
Cam finishes, shoving his way past everyone on the stairs.  
“There is a huge herd at their docks, some of them are just seeping onto ours. John,”  
The Alpha whirls around to face the antelope, John blinking at the sudden attention placed on him.  
“You need to contact Evan and make sure the BBS is aware of the attack. There are a lot of cunts out there, and I don’t think they’d try and take on that many without some backup. Tell him we’re already on our way.”

John felt his blood chill, but nodded.  
He said he’d help if there was an attack.  
It was his job as a member of the BBS.  
To….to protect his family.  
To protect Smitty.

John pulled his phone out and hurried out the front door, muttering a quick goodbye to the preparing Misfits before he slammed the door closed behind him.  
His feet hardly felt the stairs beneath them as he practically flew down the stairs, phone pressed to his ear as the dial-tone rang a third time.  
“Come on, pick up you elk bitch,”  
He mumbled under his breath, unlocking his car and hopping into the driver’s seat with the phone pressed between his cheek and his shoulder.  
As he started his car, Evan’s voice rang in his ear,  
“Hey-”  
“Evan, check the port cameras! The Can-”  
“-sorry I’m not at the phone right now. Call me again if it’s an emergency.”  
With a growl, John hung up and re-called the other Alpha, only getting to two dial tones before going to voicemail.  
“ _Shit_ , please pick up.”  
Tyler was no more luck, only getting one dial tone before voicemail, and his second attempt didn’t go through.  
He was halfway to the base.  
He frantically clicked another name.  
He swerved around a cop, going double the car’s speed and forever grateful for the decently-empty streets.  
Sirens began to scream into the early morning air as blinding lights flashed behind him.  
The first dial tone.  
“Come on, please come on,”  
John whispered under his breath.  
Second dial tone.  
The flashing lights were falling behind him as his foot pressed into the floor of the car.  
He could see the tower.  
“Hello?”  
John paused a moment, breath hitching.  
Was it another voicemail?  
“Seriously, better start talking. I didn’t wake up at 5 am-”  
A groggy voice.  
Hope flared in John’s chest.  
“There is an attack on the docks from the Canaries! Tons of Alphas! Misfits are on their way!”  
John slammed on his breaks.  
His tires squealed as he slid into the garage.  
“Wake everyone up.”  
John hung up, opening his door and checking his phone to make sure he had hung up.  
He glanced at the name.  
Smitty.

***

Wide eyes stared at the picture of Smitty and John on his phone screen.  
A selfie, John smiling lazily as he hugged Smit from behind.  
The dove felt another wave of fear rush through his blood as he turned his phone off.  
 _”Wake everyone up >”_  
Smitty ripped the mound of blankets off of his body, hissing at the cold air that touched his heated skin. Jonathan groaned on the other side of the bed, and Smitty hurried to his friend, shaking the jay-wing’s shoulders to wake him up.  
“Ssssmit?”  
Jon slurred, his azure eyes blinking open as Smitty turned the light on in their room.  
They both flinched at the sudden brightness, but Smitty ignored the confused Omega and slipped into the hallway, knocking on and entering the first door he saw.  
He flicked on the light, and Ohm let out a low groan as he groggily lifted his head.  
“I need your help,”  
Smitty snapped, tugging the Omega into a sitting position.  
“Wh-what’s up?”  
Ohm asked, rubbing at his eyes as he began to fully wake up.  
“There is an attack going on at the docks. Start waking people up.”  
Ohm nodded, stumbling to his feet as Smitty dashed to the next door. 

He woke up Brock, Brian, Evan, and Tyler, Ohm’s progress apparent by the shouting complaints from Nogla and Scotty as every light was turned on.   
Everyone was downstairs except for Smitty, Evan, and Tyler, and Jonathan was standing beside his door as the trio made their way down the hallway lined with bedrooms toward him.  
“Smitty, does Jon know what’s happening?”  
Evan asked, Tyler catching the drowsy Alpha when he tripped over his own feet.  
“No, I didn’t know if he was coming.”  
Smitty was trying to ignore the anxious twitch of his feathers. Evan opened his mouth to say something, but Tyler beat him to it.  
“He doesn’t have a choice. We need all the help we can get.”  
Smitty nodded, glancing at Jonathan as the jay-wing eyed them curiously. Evan had a small frown, but he nodded as well.  
“Smitty, get Jonathan a gun. Evan, come with me and let’s plan our attack.”  
As Tyler and Evan hurried down the stairs, Smitty jogged toward Jon. The Omega was petting his cerulean feathers nervously, chewing his bottom lip as he watched the two Alphas disappear.  
“Wh-what’s goin on?”  
He asked, his eyes flicking back toward Smitty when the Alphas were out of sight.

Smitty felt the itch to grab his hat and glasses, but both had been ruined in the last attack.  
He’d have to go in without his good luck charms.  
“Canaries. They’re attacking our docks right now,”  
As Smitty spoke he began leading Jonathan downstairs, the jay’s warm hands instinctively curling in Smit’s.  
“So we need everyone to get ready while Evan and Tyler plan out our attack.”  
“Will I be shooting a gun?”  
Smitty didn’t answer immediately, taking Jon into the kitchen and grabbing them both an apple to soothe their growling stomachs.  
“Yes. Is that okay?”  
Jonathan was quiet for a long time, and Smitty ignored the sounds of weapons being prepared downstairs to focus on finishing his apple.  
“Yeah. I’m...I’m ready to help the family.”

Smitty smiled, then took his own apple core and Jonathan’s and tossed them in the trash.  
“Let’s get you a gun.”


	33. Chapter 32

Jonathan swallowed as he held the sniper.  
The van jostled ruffly as Anthony drove.  
Smitty was sitting beside him with a twin sniper, a calming smile on the dove’s lips as he held hands with John beside him.

The two Omegas had run into the antelope-horn when they had gone to the weapon room, and John had swept Smitty into a tight, apologetic hug.  
Neither of them said anything, but when John pulled away, Smitty tugged the Alpha in for a kiss.

Now, they were sitting together, fingers held tight as they listened to the crashing of waves grow louder. On Jonathan’s other side was Tyler, the boss telling the Omega to stay beside him during the attack.   
Jonathan had seen the promise of protection in the longhorn’s eyes as Evan climbed into the other van.  
The elk had tried to hide his trembling fingers with a blinding smile.

 

Jonathan rubbed circles into his hoodie, his bottom lip bleeding with the force of his chewing.  
The van stopped, and the doors were thrown open.  
As bullets began to fill the air, Tyler tugged at Jonathan’s arm.  
“Come on, let’s find a spot for us to snipe.”  
Jon nodded, and left Smitty with John as he followed Tyler deeper into the surrounding metal containers.  
“Here. There are several Alphas up ahead. You know how to use that gun, right?”  
Jon didn’t answer, just fit the barrel of the gun into a hole in a wall and looked through the scope. When there was an Alpha in the crosshair, he pressed the trigger.  
The man crumpled, and the Omega let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.  
He looked back at Tyler, who gave him a grin before taking aim from his own gun.

The Misfits’ arrival was announced twenty minutes later, with the explanation that they had taken care of their port before pushing toward the BBS.  
Jonathan gunned down several dozen Alphas, his blood running through his ears and making it hard to hear his earpiece that buzzed with voices.  
Jonathan was taking aim at another Alpha when the ground trembled, an explosion nearly deafening the Omega as he and Tyler ducked for cover.  
“We got grenades to the North!”  
Smitty’s voice called into his earpiece, Jonathan standing again to take aim at another herd.  
“Anyone hurt?”  
Evan asked, a quick “no” making the gang relax again as they continued their fire.  
“They’re destroying the docks!”  
Marcel noted through gunfire.  
“Tyler and Jonathan, focus your fire on the Alphas near the edge, they’re loading C4 onto the bottom of ships,”  
Evan snapped.  
“On it,”  
Tyler reported, joining Jon in taking aim at the few skirting the edges of the dock.

The ports were rampant with gunfire.  
Bodies littered the ground.  
Containers were dappled scarlet.  
Jon felt a heat begin to swirl in his stomach.  
It sent a shiver through the rest of his body, and his eyes fluttered for a moment.  
He blinked to regain his focus, his heart feeling like he was running a marathon.  
He shot another Alpha and the warmth returned, stronger this time.  
It spread to his arms and he had to shift the gun to the ground or risk dropping it.  
His fingers were beginning to tremble.  
“Jonathan?”  
The Omega glanced at Tyler, his legs buckling beneath him.  
Heat swam up his neck.  
“T-Ty-”  
He was cut off as a Whine crawled out of his lips, making Tyler wince and lower his weapon.  
“Jonathan! Were you shot?”  
Tyler’s eyes widened as if he had already figured out the answer, but Jonathan still mumbled,  
“My-my Heat…”

Tyler let out a low growl and Jonathan closed his eyes as another wave of warmth washed through his body.  
“Can you stand?”  
Tyler asked, gruff voice hardly audibly over the sound of another explosion near the boats.  
“Y-yeah…”  
Jonathan croaked, standing shakily.   
“Alright. Let’s get you to the van.”  
Jonathan nodded, closing his eyes as heat began to pump through his body like blood.  
His vision was going hazy.  
His legs were trembling, and he was only carrying half of his weight as he leaned heavily on Tyler.  
The Alpha had a constant growl running under his breath.  
Jon stumbled and collapsed, Tyler hefting him up so that he was sitting.  
“Wait here, I’ll get Evan,”  
The Alpha promised.  
“Ev…”  
Jonathan cooed as Tyler began slinking away.  
The gunfire sounded muffled as a migraine stabbed into his skull.

Jonathan heard something clatter nearby, but ignored it.  
However, Tyler must’ve heard it too because he whirled around, eyes wide.  
He was already too far away.  
“Jonathan! Fly!”  
The Omega looked down, spotting the object that had crashed through the hole in the wall.  
His eyes opened wider than they ever had before, and he stumbled to his feet in the opposite direction, his wings pounding desperately at the air.  
His untrained feathers only lifted him so that his toes brushed the ground before the grenade exploded.

.

..

…

His ears rang.  
His body and wings felt siff, practically immovable.  
He had a moment of peace before the pain hit him.  
Blooming and sprouting from his back before tangling around every part of him.  
He opened his eyes slowly, the blackness slowly swimming back into focus as the ringing began to settle.  
Rubble was piled high around him.  
A voice called out his name.  
Gunfire sank into his senses.  
“H-help…”  
He called out, his voice a gasping whisper.  
The warmth that had once been swirling around him now spilled out into the open air.  
The breeze smelled salty.  
He lifted his hand to try and move the nearest pile of mangled metal, but he couldn’t move the bloodied limb further than an inch.  
He tried shifting his wings, but the action had more searing pain slashing at his shoulders.  
Ash fell from the sky like snow.  
A golden leaf scratched at the ground as the sea breeze dragged it away.  
A blue feather spun gracefully through the air before landing in front of Jonathan.  
His eyes focused on the small object as he let out a bloody cough.  
The blood smelled like vanilla and lavender.  
His vision was falling again as he desperately studied his subject of many drawings.  
His name was called as his head fell limp.  
Scarlet dripped off the cerulean feather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _cough_


	34. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit later than usual!  
> Enjoy! <3

Anthony flinched from the sound of explosions over his headphones, the bomb making the van around him tremble from its proximity.  
His drone wavered in the air as another sea breeze tried to whisk it away, but he kept the camera trained on his friends, trying to find where the explosion had gone off.  
The last one had been scarily close to Smitty and John, but both had made it out of the rubble unscathed. He found the newest plume of dust and tumbling rubble, and hovered above the afflicted area.  
Tyler and Jonathan had been there, staking out a heavy group of Alphas with their snipers.  
However, now Anthony could only see Tyler pointing his weapon as he skirted around the rubble. Anthony did another scan of the nearby area, still no sign of the blue-winged Omega.  
Poking into his coms, he spoke to Tyler directly.  
“Do you have eyes on Jonathan?”  
The Alpha grunted as he let off another shot, this time retreating behind a different container as he leaned heavily against the steel.  
“No. He went into Heat and was right next to the grenade when it went off.”  
Anthony felt his heart stutter in panic.  
Tyler bashed his head back against the container before spinning out of cover and taking down a few more Canaries. Returning fire scattered the air around the longhorn, and a bullet lodged itself in his calf.  
“Fuck!”  
Tyler snarled, his leg buckling as he crawled back to cover.  
“Hang on, I’ll send backup,”  
Anthony said immediately, raising his drone to see who was nearest.

Spotting an Alpha and two Betas, Anthony tapped into Marcel’s earpiece.  
“Marcel, Tyler is down to your southwest. Take Nogla and Scotty with you.”  
“On it,”  
Marcel replied, beckoning both Betas to follow after him.

***

Marcel kept a firm grip on his submachine gun, darting between bits of cover before firing at the onslaught of Alphas.  
Scotty took a few shaky shots behind him, Nogla reloading.  
Marcel made eye-contact with Scotty when the Beta ducked down for cover.  
“My offer still stands; do you want to use my gun?”  
Tyler and Scotty had traded guns so that the boss and Jonathan could both snipe, and although the Beta was somewhat trained on the use of an assault rifle, it was obvious he wasn’t comfortable with it, even with all the tips Nogla gave him as he used the gun’s sister.  
Scott shook his head, gritting his teeth as he muttered,  
“I’m fine. Where’s Tyler again?”

Marcel chanced a glance toward another grouping of containers, seeing some of them twisted and ruined from a grenade.  
He spotted the longhorn holding his leg behind one of the still standing ones.  
“Over there,”  
Marcel said, nodding his head in the direction of the downed Alpha.  
They let another round of bullets fly, then dashed toward Tyler’s cover.

“Got him Anthony, we’ll bring him toward you.”  
Marcel said into his earpiece as he took in the pained boss.  
“Great, I’ll call Brock in.”  
Marcel nodded, unsure and not really caring if the drone was looking at him or not.  
However, as he helped Tyler to his feet, the smell on the longhorn’s clothes made Marcel remember why something felt missing.  
“Wait, where’s Jonathan?”

Tyler winced, and for a moment Marcel couldn’t tell if it was out of guilt or pain as he leaned on Nogla’s lanky frame.

“I...I don’t- _fuck_ ,”  
Ty let out a hiss as his leg tried to give out again, but he caught himself with Nogla and Marcel’s help before continuing.  
“I don’t know. He-he went into Heat and then had a grenade thrown at him. I don’t…”  
The Alpha didn’t finish before he collapsed again, defeat and anger practically floating off of him in waves.  
However, none of them needed the boss to continue to follow his thoughts.  
“Scotty, Nogla, get Tyler to Anthony and Brock. I’ll look for Jonathan.”

The Betas escorted Tyler off as quick as possible, leaving Marcel with several guns and a fading scent.  
_Alright,_  
Marcel huffed to himself, adding his gun to the neat pile for someone to come back and retrieve later.  
For now, he had to find Jonathan.

Marcel took a deep breath of the salty air, ignoring the thousands of different Alpha scents that tainted the air.  
_Almonds._  
_Peanuts._  
_Salt._  
_Ash._  
_Blood._  
_Steel._  
And his own, mud.  
Then, he found it.  
Melting vanilla and warm lavender.

His heart began to pump harder at the obviously Heated scent, his inner Alpha flaring with interest.  
With a growl, Marcel shoved it down and began following the scent.  
He needed to get Jonathan to safety.

***

Joe leaped back as the Alpha in front of him crumpled.  
He pulled his rifle to his chest, ducking behind one of the cranes that lined the port.  
He blinked, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.  
He was facing the ocean, the crystal blue waves rippling and perfect against the rising sun.  
Sapphire against ruby.  
An explosion boomed from somewhere behind him, and he was pulled from his trance.  
His eyes focused on the sinking, mangled bits of a boat in front of him.  
“Squirrel!”  
Joe turned to look at the Alpha that called his nickname, chocolate eyes settling on one of the other members of his group.  
“I think I shot one of the Alphas that was near that jay, let’s go get him!”  
Joe blinked, then nodded.  
“Where did he fall?”  
“Where Ken threw that grenade, just over there.”  
Joe looked at where his partner was pointing, then nodded.  
“Alright let’s-”  
Joe cut off when a bullet was lodged in the Alpha’s skull.  
“James!”  
Joe still called out, even though he knew the older Alpha was already dead. With a growl, the young Alpha dropped into a crouch, dashing behind cover as he dared a peak where the rubble of a container was piled.  
The Alpha had been downed there.  
He could find the injured Omega and bring him back to Kite.

He had heard the rumors.  
He had heard the price their buyer had offered for the blue jay.  
He could leave Los Santos _and_ pay for college with that kind of money.

With a gulp, Joe sent fire toward an elk-horn and a pigeon-wing before dashing toward and behind a container.  
It hit him strongly, the smell of an Omega heat making his oryx horns itch.  
_What on earth is an Omega in Heat doing out here?_  
Joe shook off the haze that the scent was trying to trap him in, ignoring the growing scent of blood that was seeping into the air.  
He had witnessed worse than the piles of bodies of his coworkers.  
He hat seen his boss perform worse on the poor Omegas that were trapped in their clutches.  
He had also seen the regret and pain that shone in his commander’s eyes.  
He needed to be strong.  
Strong like Lui.

With a snarl, Joe followed the warm and inviting smell.  
When he saw the crimson pooling out from under the rubble, he paused.  
Aquamarine feathers scattered like bullet shells.  
A garnet sea that reflected the fiery sky.

There was a scuffle from the other side of the vanilla and lavender.  
A strong scent of mud hit Joe’s senses.  
The hair on his neck and arms pricked as he let out a low growl.  
An ivory-horned deer clattered to a stop upon finding Joe and the bleeding rubble.  
He saw the Alpha’s gaze hover on a mess of limp inky hair that protruded slightly from the piles of shrapnel.  
Joe didn’t react when he saw the terror fill the Alpha’s eyes.  
He had learned long ago to not look at the Omega’s faces.  
It made it easier to do his job.

When the deer-horn looked back at Joe, his eyes narrowed and head lowered.  
“Scram, or you’ll end up like him.”  
Joe snarled, gripping his rifle tighter.  
The deer-horn didn’t respond, just let out a growl.  
When the weaponless Alpha leaped, Joe fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	35. Chapter 34

Evan let out a snarl as a bullet wedged itself in the steel above his head, ducking as the Omega beside him felled another Alpha from his shotgun. Evan gripped his own shotgun tight to his chest, trying to catch his breath as Craig ducked back into cover. He heard the whir of a drone somewhere above him as the Beta’s voice spoke in his ear.  
“Marcel, Scotty, and Nogla need some cover fire. They had to fall back to help Tyler.”  
“Alright, Craig and I will try.”  
Evan said, glancing at the Omega who gave him a nod before peaking and firing again.  
“Hey, Vanoss!”  
Evan glanced to his other side, where an Alpha in a multicolor hoodie sat with an AR beside him. An Omega in a soft pink jacket and another Alpha sat near their boss.  
“We can help too,”  
The gazelle-horn said with a smile, his coconut scent flaring in stifled distress as another explosion rang by the pier.  
“Right,”  
Evan said with a nod, shifting so he could prepare to shoot again,  
“I need you, Toby, and maybe iNut to head west. Wildcat is getting some assistance from some of our other men.”  
Fitz nodded, beckoning his mate and iNotorious in Tyler and Jonathan’s direction.

_”They had to fall back to help Tyler”_  
Evan bit the inside of his cheek as he took aim and made another Canary fall with a splatter of blood.  
He wasn’t going to worry about what Anthony had said.  
Marcel and the Betas were helping the new boss take down some Canaries that had gotten too close.  
Jonathan was fine.

He spotted Swagger crouched down inside a nearby container, Zuckles and McCreamy on either side of him as the teens fired pistols and the Beta took out a line of Alphas with his machine gun.  
Evan took aim at an Alpha that was pointing where Tyler and Jon were, but before he could pull the trigger he fell dead.  
Evan only glanced at Craig as the Omega took aim somewhere else.  
Evan let out a huff at the stolen kill and turned his crosshairs at the smaller Alpha beside his first target. He was suddenly pushed by a flurry of feathers, and his bullet missed.  
“Craig, what the fuck?”  
“Sorry,”  
The Omega yelped, quickly tucking his wings from where they had practically enveloped Evan,  
“I...I thought I saw a Canary aiming at you.”  
“I can take care of myself, but thanks.”  
Evan sighed, looking back to see the smaller Alpha had vanished.  
_Where did he go?_  
When Evan found the kid again, the barrel of his gun was staring right back at him.  
“ _Shit_!”  
He snapped, ducking as one of the bullets got lodged where his head had been.  
He put the Alpha in his sights again as fire blossomed through his shoulder.

He let out a gasp of pain, his shotgun clattering to the ground as he fell back. He put a hand to the wound, bright scarlet already seeping through his black shirt and onto his fingers.  
“ _Oh my god_ \- Evan?”  
The Alpha groaned at Craig’s panic, dropping his bloody hand and hiding it from the Omega’s view.  
“I’m fine. Recoil startled me.”  
“Evan, I smell _blood_. You aren’t-”  
“We’re surrounded by it, Craig!”  
Evan snapped, picking his gun back up.  
“We’ve almost weakened them enough to the point that they should retreat. Let’s keep going.”  
Mini still hesitated, and Evan would forever be grateful he wore a black shirt to hide the throbbing crimson that was soaking his shoulder.  
Eventually, Craig joined him in his gunfire.  
Each shot had the butt of the gun pressing against his wound.  
White-hot pain blurred his vision with every bullet, but he didn’t stop.  
He didn’t give in until the return fire trickled away.

As the Canaries retreated, Evan let out a hiss and lowered his gun.  
Crimson dripped down his arm in long streaks.  
His shoulder had numbed from its lack of care.  
He sent Craig toward the van first, resting his head on the cold metal behind him as he caught his breath.  
Blood soaked the air as thick as his shirt.  
Ash and smoke billowed in thick clouds into the pastel morning sky.  
A fire crackled on one of the sinking ships.  
His earpiece buzzed with information that he didn’t bother to listen to.

Feathers twirled through the salty breeze.  
The sun reached golden claws for Evan’s body, but he shifted away from it.  
The frosting autumn breeze numbed his wound further.  
Birds twittered as their shadows made the sunlight flicker.

***

Red.  
Red, black, and red again.  
Red, red, red…  
Blue.  
Blue, blue, blue.  
Peanuts.  
Vanilla.  
Lavender.  
Mud.  
Mud, mud, lavender.  
Vanilla and lavender.  
Blood.  
So much blood.  
Bloody vanilla.  
Dying lavender.  
Dying.  
Dying, dying, dying.  
Not dead.  
Not dead yet.  
Blood.  
Bloody mud.  
Scarlet, crimson, mud.  
Peanuts.

Everything was blurry.  
Blurry, blurry, fog.  
His inner Alpha was retreating, leaving him with one-word thoughts and heavily warped vision.  
His sight was fading from red to pink.  
From pink to fog.  
Blurry, blurry, fog.  
His eyes struggled to focus.

His head throbbed heavily on his right temple, like something had tried to knock him out.  
He couldn’t decipher if his Alpha had taken control before or after the force, or if he had even been unconscious at all.  
His brain pounded with a searing migraine.  
Vanilla.  
His sight focused enough to see a cloudy image of two bodies at his feet.  
Everything seemed red.  
From the scent he could tell it was blood.  
Blood.  
Blood, blood, everywhere.  
The waves crashed on the nearby shore.  
The Alpha pricked his ears.  
He couldn’t hear gunfire.  
Someone had been victorious.  
But who?

“Marcel?”  
The deer-horn whirled around at his name, seeing a blurry form move toward him.  
He blinked, hoping to see the person.  
He recognized the voice.  
“Marcel, are you- _oh my god_...”  
Marcel didn’t like the fear that lined the voice.  
He took a deep breath of air, hoping to smell the voice.  
_Blood._  
_Blood and-_  
_Vanilla and lavender._  
Marcel blinked, his vision clearing further.  
He realized it was Scotty staring at him, blue eyes blown wide in terror at the gore that stood and splayed in front of him.  
“S-Scott…”  
Marcel mumbled, taking a stumbling step forward.  
_Vanilla._  
_Vanilla and lavender._  
_Warm, inviting, vanilla._  
Marcel let out a low growl at the strong scent, lowering his head and swinging it around to look at the bodies behind him.

Jonathan was lying in a broken and bloody heap on the crimson concrete, beside the mangled pile of debris.  
His earpiece was broken in a puddle of blood.  
A gun was lying beside a crumpled Alpha, his left horn splintered in half.  
Now, with his own Alpha mostly gone, Marcel realized how young the Alpha was.  
Hardly 17, if Marcel judged the size of his horns.  
But, he was still alive.  
Marcel could see the slight rise and fall of his chest, even if his breathing was ragged.

A breeze made Jonathan’s feathers twitch.  
Marcel turned his gaze back toward the Omega, ignoring the warmth that was beginning to fill his gut.  
He knew the scent of an Omega in Heat was going to trigger his Rut soon, if the haze returning to his eyes was anything to go by.  
“Marcel, let’s get you back to the van. Brock needs to patch you up.”  
The deer-horn ignored his boyfriend’s comment, moving toward the jay-wing’s body.  
He needed to get Jonathan to safety.  
“Marcel, please! You look horrible.”  
Marcel heard Scotty take a few steps toward him, but the Beta’s steps paused when Marcel started hefting the Omega into his arms.  
Blood and warmth began soaking into the deer-horn’s sleeves as he stood up.  
“M-Marcel, Jon’s dead. We need to leave.”  
The Alpha again ignored the Beta.  
He could hear Jonathan’s faint heartbeat.  
Weak, but there.  
“He’s not dead.”  
Marcel croaked, trudging past his boyfriend.

“What?”  
The Beta gasped, whirling around to walk with the Alpha.  
“How can you tell? He doesn’t look like he’s breathing!”  
“Heartbeat. Scent.”  
Marcel muttered gravelly.  
It was getting harder for him to stifle the Alpha beginning to grow excited again under his skin.  
Scotty seemed to notice, as he offered,  
“You’re hurt. Let me carry him.”  
Marcel let out a warning snarl when the Beta reached for Jonathan, Scott flinching back at the sound. The deer-horn swallowed his growl, mumbling an apology before focusing on walking.

Left.  
Right.  
He could feel blood dripping down his sides.  
Left.  
Right.  
Several of his ribs felt broken.  
The spike of his migraine was returning.  
Left.  
Right.  
Marcel nearly stumbled as roots of agony began digging through his right side.  
“Are you okay?”  
Scotty pressed, his worried tone making Marcel’s heart pound almost painfully.  
The puddle of heat in his stomach was building with every breath he took as Jonathan’s lusty scent swarmed his head.

The sounds of the waves and of Scotty’s footsteps sounded underwater.  
His vision was beginning to swim.  
He growled as he sped his feet up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _(1 month ago)_  
>  Winged hope crushed to dust  
> Pine sap dripping from a split trunk  
> Spiraling gray feathers  
> A splattering gunshot  
> Quivering horns  
> Falling tears  
> Soaring  
> Spiraling  
> Plummeting  
> -  
> Smitty sat up from his bed with a start, eyes wide as he gasped desperately for breath. There was a hum beside him, and the dove glanced to see John reaching drowsily to pull him back to bed. The Omega succumbed to his boyfriend's wishes, but he couldn't get his mind to relax.  
> The sleepy breathing from the antelope kept him company in the quiet of the night.  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	36. Chapter 35

Smitty gripped John’s hand tightly as he stared at the early morning sky, the Alpha running soothing fingers through his hair.

Soft, salmon pink delicately draped over glimmering gold and dappled with marmalade clouds.  
The nearby ocean’s waves crashed calmly, the cool blue reflecting part of the fragile colors that painted the sky.  
It was beautifully soothing- salt nearly drowning out blood and pastels nearly drawing attention from splattered crimson.  
It was a lovely morning- but they had no time to appreciate it.

The couple was waiting with Anthony at the van, everyone else back at the base as Brock patched them up. Tyler had told them to stay and wait for any sign of remaining Canaries or those who were MIA.  
If there was still no sign of them when everyone was patched up, they would look for their friend’s bodies together.

Smitty still hadn’t seen any sign of Jonathan.  
And Tyler’s expression when he had asked about the other Omega made his heart drop. Craig had stayed quiet as well, casting worried glances toward the container where he and Evan had been stationed.  
The dove-wing didn’t want to think about what could have happened to the elk-horn.

Scotty had been waiting with them as well, but as soon as Brian drove away the Beta had dashed into the carnage of shrapnel and bodies.  
The only thing preventing Smit from joining him was the secure grip John held him with.  
“Are you sure you can’t get your drone online?”  
The dove asked, glancing at Anthony with teary eyes.  
The Beta shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the fresh, early, sky.  
“It got caught in ont of the explosions. I watched it go down.”  
Smitty whimpered, turning back to face the gore and rubble that curled and crackled silently.  
He could smell Jonathan’s Heat in the air.  
It made his feathers itch knowing he was staying idle as a fellow Omega lay vulnerable somewhere in the destruction.  
He needed to protect and help Jonathan.  
He needed to see if the jay was still alive.

Smitty took a deep breath of the salty air, swallowing the bile that rose at the amount of _blood_ that hit his nose.  
But he could smell something else, and it was steadily growing stronger.  
He strained his ears over the sound of fire and waves, hearing the persistent _scrape, scrape_ of shoes on concrete.

“Marcel?!”  
Smitty jumped at the yell from Anthony, looking toward the smell and sound of the deer-horn before paling.  
Blood covered both the Alpha and the broken Omega in his arms.  
Scotty was walking nearby, his distress clear by the uncomfortable scent that radiated off the Beta. Marcel, however, stared at the van with a steely expression until he was close enough for Smitty to hear Jon’s very faint, and racing heart.  
“Brock.”  
Smitty flinched at the Alpha’s tone, the fire burning in the deer-horn’s eyes the only sign of the war going on in his body.  
“H-he left. Is Jonathan alive?”  
Marcel’s coal-colored eyes glanced at Anthony, letting out an infuriated snarl before turning toward Smitty.  
“ **T** -”  
Marcel winced and swallowed before trying again.  
“Take. Safe.”  
Smitty nodded, gently taking Jonathan in his arms. He heard John let out a low growl at the Omega’s Heat scent, but the Alpha didn’t move from his side.  
Marcel took several steps back as soon as Jon was out of his hands, running crimson fingers down his face as he released a heavy sigh,  
“Base.”  
“We can’t until either Evan comes, or Tyler tells us we can,”  
Anthony said, eyeing Marcel anxiously as blood dripped from a crimson stain in the Alpha’s shirt.

“I-I-I’m here.”  
All eyes spun around to look at the new voice.  
Stumbling more than walking, the elk-horn wobbled toward the van- his skin pale and, from his walk, he was clearly disoriented.  
“Evan!”  
Smitty yelped, eyes wide at the scarlet streaks down the Alpha’s arm, the hole in his shirt’s shoulder soaked in blood.  
John and Anthony rushed toward the elk, catching him as he stumbled.  
“ _Base_.”  
Marcel snarled, now hugging Scotty from behind. A light blush was edging the Beta’s cheeks, the deer taking lungfulls from where his nose was buried in Scott’s hair.  
“Base. Let’s hurry.”  
Anthony repeated grimly, helping heft Evan and Marcel into the van before helping Smitty get Jonathan and himself into the passenger seat.  
Blood stained his gray hoodie and the dove worried his bottom lip anxiously.  
Anthony slammed down the accelerator as soon as the van started, harshly jostling everyone as the Beta swerved onto the street.  
Jonathan’s scent made Smitty lightheaded, and he forced down the bit of warmth that threatened to pool in his stomach. 

Neon lights blurred at the speed of the van.  
A siren threatened to stop them, but it was quickly drowned by other traffic.  
The base loomed above the street.

***

Evan’s eyes fluttered heavily as he tried desperately to keep them open.  
His numb shoulder was now throbbing heavily as his head lolled from the jostling of the van.  
He could vaguely discern John beside him, Marcel and Scotty causing some sort of commotion behind him that his dizzy and swimming mind couldn’t understand.  
There was one thing he knew though,  
Something smelled _really good_.  
So much so, that he was sure it was his favorite scent he had ever smelled.  
There was, however, an awful companion to his favorite scent:  
Blood.

And so much of it that it made his stomach churn.  
He tried to ignore the nasty companion of the bubbling and warm scent that made his chest flutter, and watched the streaks of neon pass the window.  
Red and blue and pink.  
Swirling, tumbling, through space.  
He felt the car slow and turned his gaze toward the front, his head lolling slightly to the side as he watched the bright lights of the garage fill the van.  
The van stopped, and his door was thrown open.  
“Evan? Can you walk?”  
Evan blinked at John’s voice, then nodded. The antelope-horn wrapped one of Evan’s arms around his shoulders and helped the elk out of the van before leading him toward the elevator.  
The sweet scent was fading the closer he got, so he stopped his feet.  
“Evan? Are you okay?”  
“Vanilla…”  
Evan whined sadly, trying to look over his shoulder and failing as his head grew heavier. John chuckled before gently tugging Evan forward and forcing him to keep walking.  
“They’ll be up soon, don’t worry. I just don’t think we wanted to be in that van much longer from the sounds those two were making.”  
Evan tilted his head curiously, his foggy mind unable to understand what the antelope was implying as he was lead into the elevator.  
He nearly fell when it started moving, John catching him and keeping him standing until the doors opened.

The commotion going on through the small main room and other branching rooms made Evan wince from the noise.  
Blood sprinkled and dappled the white tile, the door to both the prison and the medical bay across from it propped open with scarlet-soaked shirts. The door beside the prison, the weapon room, was full of haphazardly thrown bulletproof vests and guns.  
Groans and hisses leaked from the med bay, and Brock’s voice could be heard soothing what sounded like Tyler.

John helped Evan hobble toward the med bay, cringing from the overwhelming scent of blood that filled the room.  
“Hey, Brock,”  
John called over the cries of the wounded in the room.  
Evan could see Tyler lying on a table in front of Brock, with Brian and Nogla seated and holding bloody rags to their faces.

“John,”  
The Omega huffed, dropping a pair of tweezers and a bullet as Tyler let out a shaky breath,  
“How bad is he?”  
Brock bounded toward the two Alphas, quickly scanning Evan over before pointing at another chair.  
“Set him down. You know how to bandage, right? Can you go take care of Brian and Nogla as I finish up with Tyler?”  
John nodded, clearly keeping up with Brock’s orders that made Evan’s head reel.  
He was sat down on the chair, his shoulder still aching as his head began to droop.  
He was getting tired.

“Nope nope nope!”  
Brock shouted, kicking Evan’s legs as he dashed back toward Tyler and continued wrapping his leg,  
“No sleeping, Ev, I’ll look at you in a sec.”

Evan tried to mutter a response, but it only tumbled out in incoherent babble.  
“Where is everyone else?”  
John asked from where he was dutifully bandaging Nogla’s ear.  
“Craig is taking care of Lui, Luke, and Ohm in the prison.”  
“How bad are they?”  
Brock finished Tyler’s bandaging before he answered,  
“Ohm looked like he broke his foot. I think something fell on it. And Luke,”  
Brock sighed as he dragged a chair over, helping Tyler into it before rushing toward Evan,  
“I’m not sure. There was a lot of blood, and I couldn’t tell if he still had his eye.”  
“His eye?”  
Evan mumbled, repeating the small phrase as Brock didn’t bother bringing Evan toward the table, just shoved some pills in Evan’s hand and taking off his vest.  
“Yes, Evan. His eye.”  
Brock spoke quietly, calming Evan down even if he hadn’t realized he was tense. Brock cut off his shirt sleeve with some scissors, peeling away the drenched fabric before wiping away the blood with a warm towel.  
“Do you know if the bullet left your shoulder, Evan?”  
Brock asked softly, like a mother to her child. Evan thought back, remembering hearing some kind of clang behind him when the fire hit his shoulder.  
“It’s gone.”  
He muttered, using his right hand to take a couple of the painkillers.  
“Good.”  
As soon as Brock finished cleaning the wound, he began bandaging his shoulder.

That was when Jonathan was carried into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	37. Chapter 36

Evan recognized his hoodie first, bright blue stained and ruined by dark scarlet.  
Then his ruffled black hair, and the hypnotizing, drug-like scent that followed him like a cloud.  
Evan’s head spun at the inviting and warm smell, and he felt a hand on his chest when he subconsciously leaned forward for more.  
“No, Evan,”  
Brock scolded quietly, his nose twitch clear that he could smell the melted vanilla in the air as well,  
“You need to stay seated so I can finish the bandage.”  
Evan didn’t fight Brock, although he didn’t lean back down.  
The eagle had already finished wrapping his shoulder.  
“Go fix him.”  
Evan said it almost as a whisper, terror beginning to bleed into his limbs when the jay-wing didn’t stir as he was laid on Tyler’s table.  
He could hear his heartbeat, unnervingly slow, but still there.  
“You need to save him.”  
Evan turned his dark gaze toward Brock, pleading pouring into his expression until the Omega bit his lip.  
“You have to promise to stay in this chair. No leaving.”  
“No leaving,”  
Evan repeated, not braking his locked gaze with Brock until the Omega turned away and dashed toward Smitty and Jonathan.

John had finished with Nogla, and was now cleaning blood off of Brian’s face.   
It kept soaking through the cloth.  
“Smitty, are you okay?”  
Brock asked as he began cutting Jonathan’s hoodie off.  
Evan knew the Omega would want a new one, and he almost stood up to stop Brock.  
 _No leaving._  
Evan told himself again, tucking his feet below his chair.  
“I-I’m fine, focus on Jon.”  
The dove-wing said quietly, hovering near the table.  
His white wings were ruffled anxiously, almost blocking Evan’s line of sight to the table.  
He wanted to push his way forward, stand nearby and help save the jay.  
He untucked his feet.  
 _No leaving. _  
His legs trembled slightly as he steadily put more weight on them.  
 _No leaving._  
He hesitated, half crouched as his legs still brushed the chair.  
 _No leaving. I need to stay._  
He slowly sat back down, crossing his arms and rubbing them to distract himself.  
The smell of vanilla was clearing his blurry mind and filling it with mist as it filled the room.__

__“Can you help me, Smitt?”  
Brock handed the other Omega another warm cloth and they got to cleaning the bleeding jay.  
The ruined and dark violet hoodie crumpled to the ground, along with a tattered and blood-soaked shirt. Evan could smell the lavender that clung to the clothes, like someone had spritzed a bottle of perfume in the room.  
The mist grew to fog.  
After a few minutes of Brock and Smitty cleaning the injured Omega, they dumped the bloodied rags into a water bucket.  
“John, you finished with Brian? We could use another set of hands over here.”  
“Sure,”  
The Alpha quipped, doing the last of Brian’s eye wrap.   
Brock handed John a roll of bandages, and began teaching Smitty how to wrap the worst of the wounds as John started.  
John was blocking the Omega from Evan, his rain scent forming a wall between Evan and the Heat scent.  
Evan could feel a bubble of warmth building in his gut.  
He wanted to help bandage.  
His legs shook as he stood.  
Something murmured in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t remember what it was.  
John was wrapping Jonathan’s right arm when an Omega Whine crept out of the jay-wing’s throat.  
Evan felt his senses sharpen on the Omega at the sound._ _

__John’s fingers hesitating for hardly a second before continuing.  
Smitty’s milk and cherry scent attempting to shroud Jonathan in a blanket of comfort.  
Brock’s heartbeat still pounding heavily as he scanned the Omega for more injuries.  
Blood soaked through Brian’s bandage over his left eye, his narrowed gaze also focusing on the table.  
Nogla’s breathing and heartbeat steadied as he slipped into sleep._ _

__Evan took a step forward.  
He felt Brian’s gaze flick to him, the cautious and curious glare almost making Evan sit back down.  
Jonathan whimpered.  
Evan took another eager step.  
Brian let out a warning growl.  
Brock turned to look at his mate.  
Smitty’s wings twitched.  
John‘s hands slowed._ _

__Evan could hear Jonathan’s heart rate beginning to climb, pounding and racing desperately.  
He was beginning to wake up.  
Evan took another step.  
And another.  
He needed to comfort Jon._ _

__John’s scent flared suddenly, making Evan sneeze at the sudden rainstorm.  
Smitty glanced back at him, and Brock looked back from Brian.  
John didn’t react.  
“Evan! I told you to sit!”  
The eagle-wing scolded, taking steps to drag Evan back toward his chair.  
Jonathan let out another Whine, his eyes beginning to flutter.  
Evan resisted Brock’s leading hand, taking a step closer toward Jonathan as Brock put more pressure on his chest.  
“Evan. Sit down.”  
“Jonathan.”  
Evan meant to mention he wanted to help, but the lavender and vanilla was beginning to tangle around him, pull him closer.  
John’s rain was trying to drown it, muffle the lovely scent, but Evan already it on his mind.  
“Evan, you’re hurt. You need to sit.”  
Smitty spoke, his concerned gaze irritating Evan more.  
He didn’t feel hurt, he wanted to help!  
He let out a low growl, not taking his eyes off the jay-wing._ _

__Brian stood up now, not seeming to be bothered by his lack of sight.  
“Get ‘im outta here. He’s slipping into Rut.”  
Evan snarled at the other Alpha.  
He was fine!  
He could help!  
He could-  
There was another set or arms trying to pull him away from the table.  
Evan blinked at the eagle and the dove working together, and they managed to tug him a few steps away from the table before he realized the Heat scent was lessening.  
He let out another warning snarl and tried to tug his arms free as the warmth built up in his chest.  
His mind was swarmed with fog.._ _

__“Brian!”  
Brock yelped, Evan managing to dislodge the eagle and let his fingers brush against the cold metal of the table.  
John shoved his arm away, taking over for the Omegas as he and Brian forced the Alpha out of the room.  
Evan thrashed in their grips, clawing and snapping at the Alphas until they released him.  
His vision was darkening as the fog threatened to blind him.  
There was a click of a lock, and the addicting smell was steadily being drowned out with blood and smoke.  
Evan dashed blindly forward, trying to follow the hint of Jonathan’s scent that lingered, only to slam heavily into iron bars.  
He growled, stepping back before launching himself into the bars again.  
He had to get to Jonathan.  
He needed to smell the vanilla and lavender.  
He slammed into the bars again, letting out an enraged howl when he was still trapped in the small room._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	38. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> First of all, sorry this is a bit late, life's been nuts. Anyway,in the next few chapters, there are several interrogation scenes I need to write, and I need your help deciding what questions to ask!
> 
> The characters in question are:
> 
> Ohm  
> Brock  
> Craig  
> Anthony  
> Scotty  
> Nogla
> 
> Please submit your questions in the comments, my Tumblr (@echoinghowls), or even the Discord!
> 
> It would mean a lot to me, (and now you can finally ask those characters anything you want!)  
> Thank you all so much, and hope you enjoy this latest chapter!  
> <3

“Fuck, what got into him?”  
Luke muttered, his good eye watching Evan throw himself again and again at the bars of the cell as he tried to break through.   
Craig was still wiping at his right eye, the socket’s nerves severed and numb after the shrapnel that fell on him. He ignored the throb to focus on Ohm, who was staring at Evan as he mindlessly traced his fingers over his new cast. The elk let out another furious howl before beginning to pace his cell, pupils blown to saucers as he stared unseeing at everything.   
“Jon slipped into Heat during the battle. I think they brought him in and triggered Evan’s Rut.”  
Luke hummed in acknowledgment at Craig’s comment, holding back a hiss as a needle of pain sliced through where Craig had accidently put too much pressure.   
Ohm glanced at Luke for a moment, dropping his eyes back to his leg cast before leaning back and staring at the ceiling.  
He hadn’t said a word since they had left the pier, and Luke could only ignore the worry that began to gnaw at his gut for so long.  
“Ohm, you doin’ okay?”  
Craig rinsed the bloody cloth again before picking up a roll of bandages. Ohm didn’t seem to hear him, hazel eyes sliding closed as he sighed. Luke huffed, glancing at Evan again as Ohm’s breathing began to slow. He winced at the growl the elk sent out, Evan pressing himself against the bars and reaching his arm out as far as it would go before swishing it through the air like he was feeling blindly in a dark room. Luke clenched his jaw as Craig began wrapping his eye tightly, trying to force the tide of pain back down as it attempted to overwhelm him.  
“How bad is it?”  
The Alpha asked finally, Craig’s grim expression growing darker as he said,  
“It could have been worse, you could’ve died.”  
“Do I still have my eye?”  
Craig didn’t answer. Luke let out another huff, letting his gaze fall onto the now dozing dove-wing.   
He knew the answer anyway, having not been able to see anything out of his right eye since the rubble, and Ohm gagged whenever he glanced at the kudu.   
Luke tried to look out into the hallway, where he saw Anthony and Lui standing outside. The spy had left the jail room when he saw Anthony come up, and from their hushed tones Luke couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about.  
Maybe something about the Canaries, maybe about Evan and Jon, maybe about how they were lucky neither of them got more than a scratch while he lost his eye.  
“There,”  
Craig said curtly, sniping the left-over bandage off and stepping back.  
“You’re all fixed up. Stay here until Brock or Tyler gives us more directions.”  
Luke mumbled some sort of agreement, leaning back in his own chair as drowsiness began tugging at his eyelids.  
He didn’t blame Ohm for sleeping, they were all drained from that early morning battle.  
Evan let out another low snarl as Craig stalked past him, the pigeon-wing pausing to look at the Alpha before vanishing out into the hallway.  
Luke sighed, closing his eyes as he let his heartbeat slow.  
The smell of cinnamon and pine swirled with his own campfire as he dozed off.

***

Tyler huffed as everyone listened to Evan crying out in anger, John and Brian coming back with thankfully no new injuries.  
“Thank you,”  
Brock sighed, turning back to the jay that was still sprawled on the table. Neither Alpha responded, Brian returning to the seat beside Nogla and John taking his place beside Smitty.  
Tyler couldn’t help the blade of guilt that dragged through his chest as he watched the pitiful rising and falling of Jonathan’s chest.  
He was the boss again, it was his job to protect his family and yet more than half of them were badly injured, and the one he had promised his closest friend to protect was nearly dead.  
Jonathan shifted slightly on the table again as Smitty gently wiped away at one of the gashes on his face, the jay’s face contorting into pain before softening back into sleep.  
Tyler swallowed, looking away to glance at Brian and Nogla.  
The Beta was still asleep, head to the left to avoid his sensitive ear. Brian was watching Brock work, blue eyes turning toward his own after a moment.  
“How do you feel?”  
Tyler asked quietly, leaning back slightly as the pain meds began dragging their dull, drowsy claws through his system.  
“Like I got hit by a lit’ral ton of bricks.”  
The pronghorn grumbled, his flickering eyelids sign that the pull of sleep was starting to affect him too. Tyler nodded, nestling into his seat further as his eyelids tried to force themselves closed.  
“Go to sleep. We can deal with the rest of this later.”  
Brian didn’t answer, just glanced back at Brock.  
The sound of Evan snarling from the cells made both of their hair prickle.  
“Brock will be fine. If anything happens I’ll wake you.”  
Brian sent a disbelieving glance his way, but was clearly already losing his fight against sleep and quickly fell into his dreams.

Tyler sighed as he glanced at the two Omegas and the Alpha bandaging a twitching Jonathan.  
He was beginning to nod off, and although he fought it off for a few more minutes, was soon drowning in sleep’s embrace.  
Images of blood and crackling fire flashed through his mind as his breathing and heart rate slowed.

***

Smitty swallowed the bile that kept trying to crawl up his throat.  
He gently pressed a bandaid to Jonathan’s cheek, wincing when another, quieter, Whine leaked from the jay’s lips.  
A quick glance around the room showed that everyone had slipped into blissful rest, the soft murmur of voices proof that the Betas had all gathered there.  
The quiet (sans Evan) from the prison lead Smitty to believe the others who were injured had also fallen asleep.   
The smell of honey and mangoes was slowly growing weaker.  
Smitty’s wing bandage felt itchy as he slowly wrapped Jonathan’s arm.   
It had been a week since it had been broken, meaning he had at _least_ another week before he could try flying again.  
Memories of him trying to flap his injured wing at the pier flashed behind his eyelids.  
He had forgotten about it and tried to take off, John having to soothe him when he let out a pained cry.

He glanced at the Alpha beside him, green eyes concentrated as he neatly wrapped Jonathan’s right arm tightly. The bone had felt broken.  
The dove swallowed, turning back toward the Omega on the table. He pulled a few shreds of shrapnel out of one of Jonathan’s legs.  
He was thankful him and his again-boyfriend had made up. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand and help without the rain-scented antelope.   
The memories of their fight flickered through his mind and he winced, ignoring John’s concerned glance to continue working.  
Helping and healing the hardly-living Omega surely had spurred the Alpha’s thoughts again about leaving.  
But Smitty was final.  
He would stay to help his family.  
Even if it would tear him apart again to see John leave.  
Even if it would kill him over and over again.  
And he had a feeling it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	39. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? A favorite chapter?  
> Hahahahaha...  
> yes
> 
> (also don't forget about interrogation questions! They're still open! <3)

Brock shoved the repeatedly resurfacing anxiety in his chest back down, not allowing his fingers to shake as he carefully stretched Jonathan’s right wing. The slowly waking Omega shifted slightly, but made no noise. Brock ran his fingers over blue feathers, grateful when he felt no hollow broken bones. He moved to Jonathan’s other side, stretching out his left wing with just as much care. However, Jonathan let out a piercing cry, the sound making John snarl before he swallowed it and stepped back. Brock muttered an apology, running his hand over the sensitive wings before wincing.  
The splintered and crushed remains of bone were all that remained underneath the layer of sapphire feathers and droplets of blood.  
Brock sighed, delicately shifting the wing back closed before running cold fingers down his face.  
It did little to stop the migraine that had settled into his skull.  
“What’s wrong?”  
Smitty pressed, John already getting back to work. Brock grit his teeth, dropping his hands to look at the bruising Omega on the table.  
“His wing,”  
Brock mumbled, trying to ignore the bile that was threatening to rise in his churning stomach.  
“What about it?”  
Smitt questioned, clearly not fond of Brock trying to drop the subject. The eagle let out a quiet groan before brushing his fingers along the unpreeened mess of cerulean feathers in front of him.  
“It’s broken,”  
Brock said curtly, his heart tightening as he moved to the other side of the table in a vain attempt to drop the topic.  
“How broken?”  
Brock shifted his feet uncomfortably as he grabbed another washcloth to clean more blood off of the jay’s other wing. Sometimes he hated Smitty’s determination.  
“Bad enough,”  
The eagle retorted, softly wiping and preening the unbroken wing in front of him. There was a silence before Smitty spoke again,  
“Will he be able to fly?”  
There was no “again” at the end of the comment, making Brock’s heart heavier and stomach lurch. He almost lost his dinner as the answer bounced around his head.  
The poor Jay had never even been able to properly hold himself in the air yet-  
“No,”  
The eagle answered finally.

Smitty’s face fell, and Brock had to turn away when he saw dark eyes filling with tears.  
“He never got to fly…”  
Smitty whimpered, his voice cracked and splintered with sorrow. Brock forced down his own his own grief, taking lungfuls of Heat-scent that did nothing to soothe his nerves.  
They had to be optimistic.  
“At least Jonathan is alive,”  
Brock said quietly, surprising even himself at the stability in his voice,  
“He will be able to live another day, and if his ability to fly is all he lost, I’d say he’s more or less lucky.”  
“It could have been worse,”  
Smitty agreed, taking a deep breath before returning to patching up the jay.

***

Swirling, tumbling.  
Churning, tossing, aggravating.  
His stomach felt like it was spinning around a washing machine, it was so twisted and spiraled.  
Numb pain swam through his heavy limbs, pumping and spreading like blood through his veins.  
_”Do you think he’s waking up?”_  
Voices.  
Warped and marbled so he could hardly understand them.  
His eyelids finally flickered open, instantly filling with bright, blinding light. He squinted them closed again, wincing as a slow throb began wrapping around his head.  
“He’s waking up!”  
Came the voice again, Jon faintly recognizing it as Smitty. Jonathan blinked heavily as he looked around the room, finally recognizing Smitty and Brock beside him. He didn’t recognize the room they were in though.  
“Wh’re ‘re we?”  
Jonathan mumbled groggily, his lips hardly with enough strength to shape his words. He started trying to sit up, not realizing Brock was trying to stop him until a knife of pain sliced through his right arm. He let out a cry, dropping heavily back onto the warm metal beneath him.  
“You got hurt really bad,”  
Brock began, gently pressing a cold hand to Jonathan’s bare chest. The cold made the jay hiss and flinch away, the eagle quickly removing his fingers and sighing,  
“How much do you remember?”  
“Ugh,”  
Jonathan whimpered, slowly lifting his not-injured arm to rub at his temple. The migraine that was steadily eating away at him didn’t stop, but the worst of it receded slightly.  
“I remember...Tyler,”  
Jonathan began, hissing when the memory made the migraine worse.  
“It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about it right now,”  
Brock soothed. Jon hummed an agreement, covering his eyes from the harsh light that wasn’t helping.  
“Pain meds?”  
Smitty asked quietly, and Jonathan only nodded an answer. A few pills were pressed into his palm, and then a cup of water. Jonathan quickly swallowed the meds, and downed the entire cup.  
The cold felt nice in his warmth.  
A Whine suddenly pulled from his throat, stomach lurching violently as he covered his mouth to stop the bile.  
“Here’s a trash can.”  
The jay turned toward Smitty’s voice, a pair of hands helping prop him up to empty what little he had in his stomach before laying him back down.  
Acid burned the back of his throat, and he groaned unhappily before taking a deep breath.  
A wave of heat swirled through his gut.  
“”S-Smitt?”  
He whined, the dove looking up from the bottle of pills,  
“Yeah?”  
“I-I need to go to my room.”  
“Heat?”  
Brock asked, the jay-wing nodding weakly. Brock offered to carry him upstairs, but the primal Whine and fist that held onto Smitty’s blood-soaked hoodie proved who Jonathan felt safer with.  
Brock helped heft the broken Omega into the dove-wing’s arms, then they began the hike.

Jonathan kept his eyes half-lidded, both because of the drowning warmth and the migraine that was steadily pulling and stomping on his head. When they left the blood and chemical-smelling room, the first thing Jonathan smelled was pine.  
Like an entire forest had been created in the middle of their base.  
His stomach stilled at the scent, head growing a bit clearer.  
He wanted more of it.  
When Smitty kept walking and the scent began to dwindle, Jonathan Omega Whined.  
The wail silenced whatever quiet growling had been conspiring inside the offending room, and Jonathan weakly reached for a surface, anything he could hold to smell it for a bit longer.  
“S-Smitt…please…”  
Jon whimpered, hands tightening his hold on the hoodie as a sadness began spilling into him.  
“I-I-I want to go back. I want-”  
“I know, I know,”  
Smitty calmed, giving Jonathan a gentle squeeze in his arms,  
“You’ll be okay. You have to trust me. Do you trust me?”  
Jonathan felt tears beginning streaming from his eyes at the loss of the sweetening pine, but nodded against the fellow Omega’s chest anyway.  
He nestled himself into the dove’s chest, letting himself drift off to the steady beat of the Omega’s heart.

He wasn’t sure how long it took for his back to hit soft sheets, but as soon as he was delicately laid on the bed he began shifting to pull blankets toward him. His right wing extended to drape the sheets and blankets in vanilla and lavender, not registering his left wing was bound to his side or that he could identify the components of his scent. Smitty helped him in pulling more blankets from the closet, piling them high onto the bed until Jonathan had his own nest.  
He had never performed the strange action before, having looked himself in a moldy bathroom where he desperately scratched at crumbling tile when he was alone.  
He’d never felt so warm and cared for, shrouded in heat and a soft mix of both his own and Smitty’s milk and cherries.  
From the depths of his nest, Jonathan saw the dove quietly sinking into the wrap of blankets to join him.  
The jay quickly curled himself around the cooler Omega, letting out a pleased hum when Smitty ran a soft hand over his right wing that covered them both.  
“Hey, Smitt?”  
He mumbled sleepily after a few moments.  
“Hm?”  
Jonathan could feel heat beginning to build in the dove, his foggy mind glad to have someone ride out Heat with him.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too, Jonny.”  
There was a pause.  
“Like-like brothers.”  
Smitty chuckled, voice beginning to husk with Heat,  
“Like brothers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	40. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Just announcing that I may take a break with CF as the next few chapters are the interrogations and I'm still planning those out.   
> So sorry! And I'll be back posting as soon as I can! <3

The tower was dark.  
The day previous was spent resting and healing, the Betas and minorly injured members of the BBS running errands and rewrapping bandages for those who were bedridden.   
Brock had checked on Smitty and Jonathan a few times, dropping off food and water for the two in Heat.   
Marcel and Scotty eventually made it back inside the base as well, both wearing a new mating mark as Marcel dutifully carried his new, sleeping mate to ~~his~~ their bedroom. Congratulations were said while Marcel got his side bandaged, the Alpha in better shape than he _should_ have been in after a bullet wound to his side.   
His Rut was to blame for that.  
Evan finally managed to shake his _own_ Rut off around lunchtime, groggy and starving. He ate a hefty lunch from Brock before crashing in his room the rest of the day.  
Then, evening time.  
Tyler and Ohm were left to heal in the med bay with cups of water and snacks.  
Smitty and Jonathan stayed holed up in the jay’s room.  
Everyone else retreated to their rooms- all mates (except for Craig and Tyler) sleeping together.

The tower was dark.  
Tyler snored loudly in his impromptu bed in the med bay, Ohm shifting slightly at the sound.  
The floor creaked as light feet trod on it.   
Craig made a small, drowsy hum. Smitty mewled in his sleep, Jonathan curling closer to the dove. Brock nuzzled closer to Brian as the Alpha placed a cup of water on the nightstand.  
There was a squeak of a door hinge as a bedroom door was opened.

Dark blues and purples painted the room, given a partial glow of orange from the city lights outside the window.   
A heap of clothes sat on the floor, which were gingerly picked up by the intruder.  
Wings tensed as the intruder took a lungful of the lusty, Rut scent on the clothes.  
 _Pine_.  
Feathers loosened as the intruder giggled softly, taking another desperate gasp from the shirt as they moved slowly around the bed.

“Oh Evan,”  
They cooed softly. Lights flashed brighter for a moment, illuminating the sleeping Alpha’s face in deep red before fading again.  
“It’s a shame your Rut ended. I would’ve loved to flare my scent and take your attention away from that pitiful excuse of an Omega.”  
Lights again, this time orange-yellow that made the elk look _ethereal_ for a few moments before ebbing away. The intruder giggled, taking another gulp from the discarded clothing before letting out a pleased hum,  
“It’s always the prettiest ones who are the most foolish I guess…”  
The Omega dragged delicate fingers down Evan’s cheek, who shifted into the sensation with a nearly soundless hum of gratitude.  
But the intruder heard it.  
And he smiled wider, twisting his hand to cup the Alpha’s chin.  
“I could always just dance around that Jay for a bit longer, really drown in Heat for you. But,”  
The Omega sighed, retracting their hand and pulling the Rut-scent-covered clothes back up to his nose.  
“I want to be conscious when my dreams come true.”

The intruder haphazardly tossed the shirt back to the ground, knowing the intensity of Evan’s Rut would smother his scent and he wouldn’t even have to try and hide it.  
“Goodnight my lovely Alpha,”  
The Omega murmured, a sharpened smirk on his lips,   
“I’ll be sleeping beside you soon.”

***

Tyler woke with a migraine the next day.   
The police had found the massacre (if the BREAKING NEWS that ruined every other tv channel was anything to go by) and one of their burner phones just kept _ringing_. The first few had been ignored, but eventually Tyler answered the blaring device.   
It was, of course, an officer, asking if they had been made aware of the piles of bodies on their property. Tyler had to explain to the new member of the force that they were a “gang” and “shit like that happens” to which the young man replied,   
“Oh,”  
Before falling silent for a while. A few rustles and voices in the background, then,  
“So you and your men killed them?”  
Tyler scoffed before lowering his voice to a growl,  
“Yep. And if you plan on trying to track this phone you can kiss our truce goodbye and I’ll sick my men on the nearest bank.”  
The rustling stopped, and the officer cleared his throat.  
“Y-yes sir. Have a nice day.”  
“Whatever,”  
Tyler muttered, clicking end on the phone before tossing it back to Marcel.  
“Cops?”  
The deer asked, dropping the phone and crushing it underfoot.  
“Yeah.”  
Tyler looked around, glancing at Ohm who had also been carried upstairs talk quietly with Luke. Evan was speaking with Brock in the kitchen, Anthony and Scotty playing Uno with Nogla and Lui at the table.   
“Anything I can get you?”  
Marcel offered, Tyler glancing back at the Alpha with a small smile,  
“No thanks, go hang out with your mate.”  
Marcel’s face brightened, and he hurried toward the table to wrap his arms around Scotty’s neck. Tyler chuckled, attention turning toward the stairs when he heard footsteps and smelled something all-too familiar. 

Craig didn’t spare him a glance when he reached the floor, quickly hurrying to the kitchen and serving himself a late breakfast.  
He always woke up late.

~  
 _Tyler knocked on the door again, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the Omega on the other side to answer.  
It was 10 am and they had a heist they needed to plan, how hard was it to wake up?  
Finally the door opened and Tyler was about to make a snarky comment about “Sleeping Beauty” when the words fell dead on his tongue.  
It was Craig, his hair mussed from sleep and rubbing his eyes from the light. His glasses were askew, and the t-shirt he wore hung off of one of his shoulders.   
He looked like a mess.  
An-an adorable mess._

_Tyler hid his blush by looking down the hall, clearing his throat before snapping,  
“We’ve been waiting for you for forty five minutes, are you coming?”  
Craig seemed to perk up at his words, and with an ~~adorable~~ yelp ran a hand through his hair.  
“Yes! I am so sorry, I-I’ll be right there!”  
The pigeon slammed the door closed and Tyler felt a small smile pull itself onto his face.  
The smell of honey and mangoes soothed his previous annoyance._  
~

Tyler blinked out of the memory, turning back to the cast on his leg when he realized he had been staring.  
His instincts told him to call the pigeon-wing over, cuddle and scent each other until Tyler felt better and they were both happier. However, the looming sense of _’not right’_ still hung around him.  
Around him and-  
Tyler glanced at the dove that was sprawled on the other couch, head in Luke’s lap as they giggled at some joke. Ohm had also been unable to walk, what with his broken foot, but it didn’t seem to put him down too much.  
He usually had Luke carry him everywhere.

Tyler sighed as the couple fell into another bout of laughter, turning to glance at the tv that was still off.  
He could see his blurry reflection staring hopelessly back at him.  
What if breaking up with Craig had been a mistake?  
What if he was wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	41. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So begins the interrogations!  
> These last for 4 chapters (counting this one),  
> -So if y'all want, I can post the next few on Wednesdays too, (since they are mostly for those also trying to solve the case).  
> -Or, I can keep the posting schedule the same! 
> 
> Let me know in the comments, but I hope you enjoy the beginning of the end of CF! <3

Luke twirled a pen as he stared at the notebook in his hand, a frown firm on his lips. He itched idly at the temporary eyepatch he had wrapped firm around his head, an annoyed sigh seeping from his mouth.  
Tyler had made it clear the afternoon prior that they needed to get going with the interrogations, making sure every Alpha had a notepad to keep notes of anything significant, as well as a list of questions. 

With only one ‘suspect’ in Heat with Jonathan, it left the rest to be questioned- Omegas and Betas alike.  
Every Alpha was assigned someone.

Luke was to talk with Brock,  
Brian with Craig,  
Marcel with Nogla,  
John with Anthony,  
Evan with Scotty,  
And Tyler with Ohm.  
That left Lui out of questioning, but he hadn’t been at the base yet anyway. 

Then, they set up rooms separate from the others for the interrogations: Tyler claimed his office, John snatched the Observation Room, Evan chose the Meeting Room, Marcel opted for the garage, Luke sectioned off the med bay, and Brian holed up in his room.

Evan had woken up extra early, stopping everyone as they came down and sitting them at the table. Then they had a tableful of hungry, confused, people and Luke didn’t blame anyone for their sharp glares or rude quips.  
Then, after all the Alphas got a briefing from Tyler, (along the lines of, “write anything important” and “if they’re suspicious tell me”) they hid away in their ‘stations’, leaving Evan to send everyone else to where they were assigned.  
There were a few complaints, but they quieted when they were promised food.

Luke sat in his chair, clicking his pen cap while waiting for Brock to come down.  
If he was honest with himself, he didn’t care much about finding ‘Whodunnit’.  
He had joined the BBS after they saved him from getting jumped by the Canaries (he had been trying to protect Ohm, not knowing who the Omega was back then), and since then, he just never thought about leaving.  
The place became home, and since he and Ohm were brought in at the same time… well, he never wanted to leave a pretty face.  
This whole situation didn’t affect him too much though, Jonathan didn’t actually get hurt, and there hadn’t been any sign of the attacker since.  
If he had a say in these things, he would’ve called off the search a week ago.

Finally the door to the med bay opened, revealing the eagle-wing Omega with a nervous smile. Luke straightened up, pulling on his own smile as best he could with an eyepatch,  
“Brock! Good morning,”  
“Good morning,”  
Brock responded, albeit a bit cautiously,  
“Do we get to figure out why we were all sectioned off?”  
“Of course, of course. Come sit down.”  
Luke gestured toward the seat on the other side of the steel table, and Brock tucked his wings close and sat down. 

The kudu glanced down at the list of notes Tyler had given him, frowning a bit at the first few questions with a note that said “ask first”. They were pretty obvious, so Luke decided to ignore them. He skimmed a few others before just dropping the notebook and questions on the table. His eye was beginning to bother him, and he just wanted to get this over with.  
“So,”  
Luke started, Brock lifting his gaze from where he had been staring at his hands.  
“I guess I should tell you why your here. Tyler is finally putting his foot down and trying to figure out who attacked Jonathan.”  
Brock nodded in understanding, then said,  
“That makes a lot more sense.”  
Luke added his own nod before leaning back in his chair and asking,  
“So where were you when that all went down?”  
Brock chuckled at the lack of professionalism from the Alpha, but answered nonetheless.  
“I was probably reading in my room, that’s all I ever do these days.”  
“So you weren’t lying when you told Evan the same thing?”  
Brock paused a moment, then his face fell with a sigh.  
“No, I didn’t lie, I just knew he wouldn’t believe me. I’ve known the kid since he was fourteen, I know when he’s too determined to believe something to change his mind.”  
Luke nodded, again forgetting how far back some of the guys go. Compared to the others, him and Ohm were still in the infancy of their relationship. Hell, Smitty had joined the gang a couple months after them, and now they were reaching the second year of being a part of the BBS.  
They really hadn’t been together that long.

“Um, Luke? Going to ask me anymore questions?”  
The Alpha blinked out of his thoughts, clearing his throat when he realized Brock was smirking at him.  
“Yeah, uh…”  
Luke trailed off, mind blank of what to ask before glancing at the notes Tyler left him. He skimmed back over the questions before asking,  
“Is there any reason we have to suspect you?”  
Brock thought for a moment, then crossed his leg over his knee and smiled.  
“Other than the fact I’m an Omega, and my keychain was found in the closet, I don’t think so.”  
“Your keychain?”  
“Yeah,”  
Brock’s friendly expression fell a bit,  
“My moose keychain. I’ve had it since I’ve known Evan. It was kind of like a friendship-bracelet deal, I guess. I _know_ it was in my room that day, and I must’ve left it on my dresser that evening. I…”  
Brock sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his wings shifting a bit behind him.  
“I don’t know how it got inside the closet. I didn’t put it there, but it took Evan reflecting for a while to believe me. I don’t expect you to either.”  
Luke hummed to himself, scratching down a few notes in his notebook (he didn’t think he would even touch it, but maybe he was growing more curious by the second).  
Luke again scanned the questions before offering,  
“Was there anyone who would’ve seen you reading?”  
Brock brightened a bit, nodding his head as a soft smile managed to worm itself onto his face.  
“Brian, of course. If I remember correctly, he told me to stop reading so we could cuddle. I told him to let me finish the chapter, and he was grouchy but agreed. He fell asleep before I finished though.”  
Luke pressed his lips together thinly, before asking,  
“Do you remember what time you went to your room? And when Brian fell asleep?”  
Brock hummed, letting out a breath before answering,  
“I think I dragged Brian upstairs around 9:40ish? I didn’t check the time past that, but I imagine Brian would’ve been asleep by 10:30.”  
“How late do you usually stay up reading?”  
Brock chuckled at the question, then responded,  
“It’s how I fall asleep, but usually around 10:30, 11-o'clock is when I’m actually sleeping.”  
Luke hummed at the answer, glancing at the notes Tyler had scribbled down to fact check against- _Time of attack: 11:25_.  
Luke huffed as he skimmed over the questions, most of them non-applicable to the situation before his eyes landed on the last few,  
“Is there anything that could support your alibi?”  
Brock paused, lips pressed into a thin line before shaking his head.  
“I doubt there’s anything. Unless a book counts for anything…”  
Luke scoffed, but shook his head.  
“Nah, sorry.”  
Brock shrugged as Luke continued,  
“Did you see anyone on your way to bed? Maybe say goodnight to anyone?”  
Brock hummed in thought before sighing, placing his hands flat on the table and looking the kudu in the eyes.  
“I honestly don’t remember. I probably said goodnight to Smitty? I tend to do that a lot.”  
Luke nodded, then pressed his pencil on the last question,  
“Have you talked to anyone about the incident?”  
Brock paused, his wings shifting slightly and his foot that was resting on his knee beginning to tap at the air.  
“I’ve...spoken to a few people, yes.”  
Luke waited to see if the eagle-wing would continue, but when met with silence he pressed,  
“Who?”  
Brock sighed, biting his bottom lip before saying,  
“Brian, of course. Smitty a few times as well, although not so much recently.”  
“What did you talk to them about?”  
Brock, huffed sharply, his wings wrapping slightly around his shoulders as he crossed his arms.  
“I...I can’t remember fully. I think I told Brian I was fine, being in the cell and all back then, and I told Nogla-”  
“Nogla?”

***

“Nogla!”  
Marcel said leisurely from where he was leaning back in his chair, feet on the table that he had dragged out of storage. The Beta glanced at him with a cocked eyebrow, Marcel gesturing to the seat across from him,  
“Please! Join me.”  
Nogla was hesitant, but eventually sat down in the chair. He kept his good ear toward the Alpha, the other, now-deaf, still bound to his head. Marcel expertly twirled his pen between his fingers as he smiled widely,  
“So Nogla, where did you hide the knife?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	42. Chapter 41

The Beta spluttered, green eyes wide as he tried to babble out some sort of excuse before Marcel silenced him with a raised hand, chuckling softly.  
“You should’ve seen your face!”  
The Beta’s fearful expression darkened to annoyance, before he huffed and crossed his arms.  
“T’at’s not funny Marcel.”  
“On the contrary, if I wasn’t supposed to be serious I would be laughing.”  
Nogla looked up from his pout, shifting in his chair at Marcel’s smile and sharp eyes.   
“What’s t’is all about? Why can’t I have any breakfast?”  
“Nogla! My old friend,”  
Marcel leaned forward, weaving his fingers together and resting his chin on them. His notebook and notes were tucked between his elbows,  
“How long have you worked at the gang?”  
Nogla cocked a brow at the question.  
“I’ve been part a’ da gang since before ye were!”  
“Right, but how long?”  
“I dunno, four years since we joined Ev’n an’ Brock.”  
Marcel nodded, still not taking his head off of his hands,  
“And are you in a relationship with anyone?”  
Nogla’s eyes widened slightly, and a dark blush inched up his cheeks and ears.  
“I- uhm- I a-asked L-Lui out yesterday…”  
“Aw!”  
Marcel cooed, allowing his smile to grow wider. He wanted the Beta to feel relaxed, like he wasn’t taking in every detail about his body language and storing it to save for later in the interrogation. However, the deer doubted the Beta was any good at lying, knowing how the Beta felt about lies and how harmful they could be.   
Marcel wondered if Nogla knew how often Lui lied to him about the Canaries.  
“So are you two together now?”  
Nogla turned a darker shade of crimson, but nodded, and Marcel gave the Beta a wide smile.  
“Well, congratulations! I’m happy you two finally stopped dancing around each other.”  
Nogla scoffed, his blush already receding as he retorted,  
“At leas’ I’m not as bad a Ev’n an’ Jonathan.”  
“Speaking of,”  
Marcel bridged, glad Nogla was able to get them on topic fairly quickly,  
“Do we have any reason to suspect you for attacking Jonathan?”

Nogla was quiet for a long time before he sighed.  
“Is t’at what all a’ tis is for?”  
“Answer the question, Nogla.”  
“Of fohkin’ course not! An’ nobody else did it either!”  
Marcel cocked an eyebrow at Nogla’s statement, the Beta again huffing in his seat. Lowering his arms and picking up his notebook, Marcel pressed,  
“Care to explain?”  
“A’ course I will! If one of us was the one who attacked him, wouldn’t t’ey’ve done it again? The base has been silent fer weeks!”  
It was Marcel’s turn to be quiet. The Beta had a point. The Alpha glanced at the sheet of questions before scratching down Nogla’s thoughts.  
He wasn’t doing this to get persuaded one way or the other, he wanted facts.

“Where were you when the attack happened?”  
“Sleepin’. Like the rest of ya’s.”  
Marcel met Nogla’s glare, holding it until the Beta caved in with a small sigh and stared at his hands as they wrung together.  
“Do you know what could have happened to evoke such an aggressive response to Jonathan joining us?”  
Nogla opened his mouth in a snarl to retaliate before his features fell in thought.  
“I...I know Ohm an’ Craig were ta’ main guys watching ‘im. Maybe a Canary followed ‘em an’ planned on stealin’ ‘im when we took ‘im in. Coulda stalked our base an’ attacked ‘im a few nights later.”  
Marcel nodded, taking note of how heavy Nogla’s accent got when he was nervous. He still doubted the Beta was lying though.   
The Alpha paused, and choosing his next words carefully, asked,  
“Why are you so sure it isn’t someone from the gang?”  
Nogla shrugged, then said simply,  
“Well, why would any of ‘em? Nobody was mean to ‘im when he first came in, an’ I don’ tink anybody would hurt a member of ta gang.”  
Marcel nodded, scratching down more notes.   
In his mind, it was clear beforehand Nogla was innocent, but now he was even more sure. The deer sighed, glancing at the last question on the list before shrugging.  
He’d ask one more question and then send the Beta up for breakfast.  
“Have you talked to anyone about the attack?”  
Nogla nodded,  
“Course, when it first happened it was all anyone wanted ta talk about. I talked ta you, Lui, and te udder Betas like-”

***

“Anthony,”  
John smiled lazily at the Beta in front of him, his notes open in his hands as he tipped his chair onto its back legs,  
“How long have you worked at this gang?”  
The Beta was sitting relaxedly in his chair, arms behind his head in one of the rolling chairs from the nearby pcs, curtains drawn over the large windows of the Observation Room.   
“Uhm, roughly a year and a half? Around the same time as Craig.”  
John scoffed,  
“Baby.”  
“Hey!”  
Anthony retorted, a smile bright on his face,  
“You only joined here two years ago according to the records!”  
“Damn. Evan must’ve remembered wrong.”  
“Oh, fuck off,”  
Anthony laughed, John joining in his giggles. He did a quick scan of the Beta’s body language, the man practically sprawled across the chair as he rolled himself back and forth across the tiled floor.   
“How ‘bout relationships, dating anyone?”  
Anthony paused, continuing in his rolling before speaking with a breath of a smile,  
“I’ve been speaking to one girl, a pretty hummingbird Omega, but otherwise I haven’t been on any dates recently.”  
John hummed an acknowledgment, then cocked a brow at the Beta,  
“Ready for the hard questions now?”  
Anthony chuckled, but shrugged.  
“I guess, don’t know what we’re even here for yet.”

“Why do you think Jonathan was attacked?”  
Anthony eyed the antelope for a moment, then scoffed. His next words were low,  
“So that’s what all this is about, huh?”  
“You got it borther,”  
John sighed, dropping the chair onto all of its feet before pressing,  
“Got an answer?”  
“Why do I think Jon was attacked? Well, several things I guess. How long are we here for?”  
John glanced at Anthony’s hands as they gripped the arms of the chair, body tense instead of relaxed like earlier.  
“As long as we need. No rush.”  
Anthony nodded wordlessly, then began,  
“Well, someone could have thought the gang was too big, figured they’d scare Jon out to save up on some supplies. Because if they had meant to kill Jon, they would’ve. It’s our job, it’d be hard to be bad at it.”  
John scratched down several loose strands of notes before gesturing for Anthony to continue.  
“Another theory I’ve had is a Canary _did_ manage to get in here and tried to steal the kid away, but they disappeared too thoroughly.”  
Anthony glared at his hands for a moment before adding,  
“I’ve also considered jealousy, but I don’t know how that would work.”

“You’ve thought about this for a while,”  
John observed, watching Anthony as the Beta spun his chair slowly. The man in question chuckled darkly.  
“Yeah, I’ve run my head around this situation for a bit.”  
John hummed again, watching Anthony for a moment before asking his next question.  
However, the Beta beat him to it.  
“John, did Smitty date anyone before you?”  
The Alpha blinked at the question, scanning Anthony’s curious gaze before shaking his head.  
“No, he focused on his schoolwork until he got tangled up with gang business. Why?”  
Anthony nodded, weaving his fingers together before leaning back in his chair,  
“Just trying to tie up some loose ends. Why did Smitty stay with Jonathan? If he had left his Heat wouldn’t have started, right?”  
John narrowed his gaze on Anthony, forcing the hair on the back of his neck to relax.  
“I’m not sure, I don’t control my boyfriend with Alpha Commands to make sure he tells me every thought that passes through his mind.”

Anthony ignored the threat, instead pointing and connecting invisible points in the air with a calculated expression.  
“Well of course he doesn’t, he’d be terrified if you knew what he had been thinking before you guys broke up.”  
“What does that mean?”  
John’s words were chilly, the frostbitten tone the result of the Alpha reigning in his urge to strangle the man who was accusing his boyfriend.  
His _dove_.  
“It means, John,”  
Anthony said simply as he turned back toward the Alpha,  
“That before Smitt realized how much you meant to him he had his eyes on-”

***

“Evan?”  
The elk looked up from his shoulder wrapping to greet Scotty’s surprised expression with a friendly smile before gesturing toward the seat across the long table between them.  
“Hey Scott, sit down, please.”  
The Beta sat down, looking around the empty Meeting Room with a bit of confusion before turning toward the elk,  
“What’s going on? Why’d you send everyone away before me?”  
“They all had to go to their places, you got stuck with me,”  
Evan said with a shrug, straightening the paper notes he had with the notebook before lying the stack down.  
“What places? Why in here?”  
Evan scoffed at all of the Beta’s questions, but honestly didn’t blame him.  
That morning had been hellish, to say the least.  
He brushed off his stresses and pressures from earlier, instead focusing on Scotty and the questions he had in hand.  
This meant a lot to Jonathan, and keeping the gang safe, even if he wasn’t boss anymore.

“So, Scott,”  
Evan began, purposely ignoring his previous questions,  
“What do you know about Jonathan getting attacked?”  
Scotty blinked owlishly at him for a moment before asking quietly,  
“What?”  
“When Jonathan was attacked- do you know who could have done it? Or why?”  
Scotty stared at him for a moment longer before shaking his head.  
“No, why are we talking about this? I thought we were past this!”  
Evan eyed Scotty curiously before pressing,  
“What do you mean?”  
The Beta suddenly leaped to his feet, pacing the space between the table and chairs and the wall.  
“Marcel promised we wouldn’t talk about this anymore, why didn’t he tell me?”  
Evan watched Scotty carefully, the Beta’s panicked and heavy breathing filling the quiet room. He was sure if he were still in Rut he’d hear the Beta’s heart pound quicker than a songbird’s.   
“Marcel said we were done. We were safe. There was no monster in the walls or Canaries crammed into closets. Why are we doing this?”  
Scotty turned to face Evan at the last question, blue eyes desperate and _pleading_. 

The Alpha cleared his throat, again gesturing toward the chair.  
“Scotty, please sit-”  
“No no no, oh god, there was another attack wasn’t there?”  
The Beta wasn’t listening anymore, and had stopped his pacing to stare unseeing at the center of the table.  
“No, Scotty, listen to me-”  
Evan stood up to try and soothe the panicking Beta, but the pure alarm that filled Scott’s eyes at his movement made him freeze.  
“No, oh god no, you brought me here to kill me…”  
“Scotty I’d never-”  
“DON’T MOVE!”  
Evan obliged the Beta’s request, again settling into his chair from where he had tried to stand.   
“Put...put your hands up.”  
“Scott please-”  
“Evan put your fucking hands in the air or I will shoot.”  
The elk blinked at the threat, realizing that the Beta did, in fact, have a pistol in his hands, and Evan could only guess he had pulled it from one of the emergency drawers under the table.  
Slowly, the Alpha held up his hands.  
“G-good,”  
Scotty stuttered, taking a few steps toward the door,  
“Now where is Marcel?”  
“Scotty please, just listen to me-”  
“Where IS HE?”  
Scotty cried, tears beginning to trickle down his flushed and panicked face.

Evan sighed,  
“He’s in the garage with Nogla.”  
“Thank you.”  
Scotty bolted out the door, pistol still tight in his grip before he was gone.  
Evan groaned, running his hands down his face and heaving another, heavier sigh.  
He really hoped the other Alphas were having better luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	43. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I will be posting twice a week now that CF's writing is completed! (Wednesdays and Sundays)  
> Hope you enjoy!

Brian paced his bedroom as he waited for Craig, eyeing the small fold-out chair he had pulled upstairs for the Omega to sit in. He ran a hand over the bandage that covered the gash above his eye.  
He hadn’t bothered with a table, knowing he’d be up and walking around like he already was. The notes Tyler had given him was tossed onto the bed for him to read if needed, but he guessed he’d be too in the moment to think of writing anything down. In fact, he had already read through all the questions half a dozen times just in case he blanked on questions to ask.  
He was paired with Craig, and Tyler had already told him to be extra careful with the Omega.  
Although, not in the way he had expected.  
He had expected the longhorn to warn him about being too aggressive, but instead he had told Brian to get as much as he could out of the pigeon (without using Alpha Commands for some foolish reason).   
So, Brian was determined to keep the Omega scared, and he doubted nosing through a couple papers would help his fear factor. 

Finally, the door clicked open.  
Brian turned sharply to eye the oak, and smirked when he could already smell the underlying fear scent tangled inside the peach and mango.   
“Mini, come sit down.”  
Brian gestured exaggeratedly toward the chair in the center of the room, and slowly but surely the pigeon-wing sat down, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.   
_Perfect._  
Brian thought to himself, taking slow, long strides to stand in front of the Omega,  
 _Let’s get this party started._

“Craig, Craig, Craig, what did ye do?”  
He had expected the panicked expression, he didn’t expect the trembling hands. He tucked the reaction away to make note of later.  
Craig stared at him with wide eyes, face paling at the simple statement.  
“W-what do you mean?”  
“I think ye know what I mean Craig,”  
Brian continued easily,  
“Why do ye think yer here?”  
Craig shifted his feet uncomfortably, his fingers twisting and wringing together as his knuckles turned white.   
“I-I-I don’t know…”  
The Omega swallowed thickly, his wings puffed up and tight against his back.   
“Fine, then I’ll start simple. What do ye know about Jonathan getting attacked?”  
Craig stilled before asking quietly,  
“Jonathan getting attacked? You...you mean when the Canary broke into base?”  
Brian sighed before crouching down, getting to Craig’s eye-level.  
“We’ve checked the camera feed. It’s someone here.”  
Craig didn’t look directly at Brian, and ran a hand through his hair.  
“I-I don’t know anything about it.”  
“What were ye doing that night? Were ye with Tyler?”  
Craig grew silent for several moments before speaking again,  
“Tyler was alone in bed.”  
“I didn’t fohkin ask that,”  
Brian snarled, his inner Alpha already fed up and wanting to Command the pigeon,  
“I asked where ye were.”  
Caig bit into his upper lip, blood leaking from between his teeth. Brain waited a few minutes in silence before snapping and grabbing fistfulls of the Omega’s shirt, hauling him to his feet and glaring icily at the pigeon.  
“ **Where the hell were ye that night**?”  
He felt Craig stiffen in his grip.  
“I was with Tyler until I went to the bathroom, he was gone when I came back.”  
Brian stared at the Omega’s terrified face before throwing him to the ground and snarling,   
“ **Relax, cohnt**.”

Immediately the pigeon crumbled in on himself, taking desperate gasps of breath as Brian paced the room.  
He had broken a promise and Alpha Commanded him, but he had gotten useful information! Craig had been in the bathroom instead of downstairs with Jonathan.  
But then-  
Brian waited a bit to let Craig calm down a bit before he knelt beside the trembling Omega.  
“Why was that so hard to tell me?”  
The pigeon-wing shook his head, scared tears trailing his cheeks. His voice sounded like a snapped twig,  
“Can’t.”  
“Can’t what? Can’t tell me?”  
Craig only continued shaking his head.  
“Can’t, can’t can’t can’t can’t…”  
He spoke the word like a mantra, chanting it under his breath as he trembled and shook his head.   
“Craig, stay wit’ me. You can’t what?”  
The Omega was on the brink of sobbing, his face pressed into the carpet as his slate colored wings shrouded him.   
Brian pressed his lips into a thin line, then sighed.  
“Craig, can ye hear me?”  
The Omega whimpered, but he got a nod in response. Brian sighed in relief that the pigeon was at least somewhat coherent. He bit his bottom lip before carefully asking,  
“Can I Alpha Command you? Just to help you speak?”  
Craig had curled further into himself at the question, but slowly sat up when Brian clarified.  
His eyes were rimmed red, and he sniffled pathetically from where he sat on his ankles.  
He gave the pronghorn a small nod.

“Okay. **Craig, I need you to tell me the truth**.”  
It was a vague command, something the pigeon would still have control over even in his weak state. The Omega’s shoulders tensed again, but he stopped his mumbling. Brian felt his senses go into overdrive at the active command, and ignored the sudden overwhelming scents and sounds to focus on asking the pigeon questions.  
“Why couldn't ye tell me where ye were that night?”  
“I was threatened.”  
“With what?”  
“Tyler’s life.”  
“Oh.”  
Brian looked down at the carpet, his thoughts swirling at a mile a minute. Craig finally looked up at him, hazel eyes bright with hope that Brian knew was based on him. He took a moment before pressing,  
“Can I ask who?”  
Craig shook his head, dropping his gaze again. Brian sighed, but brushed it off.  
He was trying to be ‘nice cop’ now. For some reason.  
“Fine. How did ye find out?”  
“I saw them a few weeks ago talking about planning another attack. I asked if they had done the first one and they confessed with a smile,”  
Craig paused before continuing,  
“I told them they were crazy and was going to tell Tyler when they threatened to kill him- to gut him like a fish.”  
Brian let out a grimm scoff,  
“I’m sure the gang boss could take on an Omega.”  
Craig only shook his head. Brian cleared his throat before questioning,  
“So do you know why he attacked?”  
Another shake of the pigeon’s head.  
Brian sighed and stood up.  
“ **Relax**.”  
The Omega curled into a fetal position, but he still wasn’t mumbling ‘can’t’, which the pronghorn took as a win.

“Get some rest. You were a big help,”  
Brian offered.  
Craig nodded weakly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	44. Chapter 43

Tyler sat uncomfortably in his chair from where Evan had helped him walk to, his wrapped leg stiff from where it sat under his desk.  
From what he could hear from the kitchen, almost everyone had been sent off.  
Only Ohm, Scotty, and Evan remained.  
Tyler listened carefully as Evan sent Ohm toward his office.  
The small room no longer smelled of anxious pine, but an anxious beach.  
Tyler was tapping his good foot restlessly against the floor, listening to the click of crutches as it neared his door.  
He had his notes in hand.  
He hoped the other Alphas would use them to get useful information.

The door opened to reveal the gray-winged dove, hazel eyes nearly bright green in the light.  
“Ohm! Or, if we’re being professional, Ryan.”  
The Omega winced at his real name before asking,  
“Why my real name? What are we being professionals for?”  
Tyler gestured for Ohm to sit down, and the dove did so with their single pair of crutches. Brock had promised to get them another soon.  
“So Ryan, how long have you been a part of the gang?”  
Ohm made a face at his name again, but answered,  
“I believe two years now? Just before Smitty and John.”  
Tyler nodded, glancing at the page from Ohm’s files he had snagged from one of the cabinets.  
He knew he was telling the truth at least.  
“Great! And are you in a relationship with anyone?”  
“Luke.”  
“Right, of course.”  
Tyler glanced at the Omega’s body language, his bad ankle resting on his other knee. His fingers were laced together and he had a small, relaxed smile on his freckled face.

“So, what do you know about the incident when Jonathan was attacked?”  
Ohm blinked at the question, then said,  
“I don’t know much, I know that the jay was attacked and we’ve been trying to figure out who did it for a while now.”  
Tyler nodded.  
“And where were you when it happened?”  
Ohm’s foot stopped tapping and he scrunched his face in thought.  
“Probably in my bed, Luke and I didn’t start sleeping in the same room until I broke my foot.”  
Tyler hummed in acknowledgment before continuing,  
“Do you know what could’ve triggered someone to attack Jon? Maybe you heard someone speaking poorly about him?”  
Ohm took his time again before answering, running a hand along the wings that hung loose around him.  
“I never heard someone else speak poorly about him, no. Must’ve been something bad though.”  
“Indeed,”  
Tyler agreed, scratching some more notes into his notebook before shifting in his seat to sit up more.  
“I know you were one of the ones who wanted to bring him to the gang, have you spoken much to him since?”  
“I haven’t much, moreso when he first joined and Evan had me help him try and fit in. It’s a shame he got attacked.”  
“Who?”  
Ohm flicked his gaze toward the longhorn in confusion,  
“What?”  
“Who got attacked?”  
Ohm scrunched his eyebrows before saying slowly,  
“The… blue-winged Omega?”  
“Jonathan, right?”  
Ohm nodded slowly before dropping his gaze toward his hands. He unlaced them and delicately laid them on the armrests. Tyler took careful notes before pressing further,  
“Have you talked to anyone about the attack?”  
Ohm paused before shrugging,  
“Probably? It’s been a while.”  
“Please, try to remember.”  
Again the dove fell silent before he spoke again,  
“I talked to Smitty, and Luke,”  
Another pause,  
“And Craig.”  
Tyler nodded again before pressing,  
“Who do you think did it?”  
Ohm hesitated before saying,  
“I doubt it was anybody here, otherwise we would have already found them. It was most likely an outsider, like someone who was pissed at Jonathan in his past, even if the surveillance footage said otherwise.”

It was Tyler’s turn to be quiet as he scribbled down more notes, then tapped his pen on the paper.  
“Anything else you can tell me?”  
“I doubt it.”  
Tyler bit the inside of his cheek before shrugging.  
“Alright, then you can head back to the kitchen. Lui got breakfast burritos so go ahead and eat, too.”  
Ohm smiled brightly before nodding,  
“Alright! Hope you find what you’re looking for!”  
Tyler waved him off and waited for the awkward clicking of crutches on tile to fade a bit before slouching.

He glanced down at his notes before scoffing and throwing the papers to the edge of his desk.  
The notes were useless.

He could only hope that the other Alphas had gotten more helpful information, especially Brian.  
He hoped the pronghorn had torn into the pigeon viciously, truth pouring from his lips like a broken spout as he confessed in great detail all the plans and where he hid the evidence.  
He was already wrong about Ohm,  
He didn’t want to be wrong twice.

\--

Eventually, the other Omegas and Betas were released for breakfast, and the other Alphas dropped their notes off with Tyler so they could eat as well.  
The longhorn had long since lost his hunger.

Luke’s notes just stated how close Brock was with Evan, which was obvious already. But again, the eagle was cleared of any thought that he could be the attacker.  
Marcel’s notes brought up Nogla’s stance of trusting everyone, and Tyler almost wished he could feel the same.  
According to John, Anthony was sure Smitty had something to do with it (if that’s what the angry chicken scratch translated to anyway).   
Evan had nothing written on his notes, and had to explain that Scotty had had a panic attack before he could answer anything.  
Brian’s notes he had saved for last.

He pulled the papers close and read them over.  
And then he read them again.  
And again.  
Before angrily throwing the papers to the opposite side of the room with an angry snarl.  
He knew the gang had heard him, if the sudden silence from the kitchen was anything to go by.  
He sighed heavily and ran both hands through his hair before gripping his horns.  
Brian’s notes claimed that Craig had _contact_ with the attacker and knew who it was, but wouldn’t confess to who it was, and even gave an alibi that solved why Tyler hadn’t seen him that night.

Which meant…  
They were back at square one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	45. Chapter 44

An uneventful week passed like a lazy river through the base. Ohm had resorted to fully relying on Luke to carry or help him walk everywhere, which allowed Tyler to use the crutches and that seemed to soothe the Alpha’s stress at least a little. There hadn’t been any further discussions about Jonathan and his attacker, and it was quickly established that they would follow through with Scotty’s wish of ignoring it.  
The detective spirit still burned through all but one of the Alphas, and he seemed to be the only one of them getting decent rest. 

\--

The autumn air shook the leaves off trees, and strong pools of sunlight warmed those who were nipped by the greedy cold. Couples linked fingers and Alphas pulled jackets closer as Omegas tucked their wings around their shoulders. Children splashed in rain puddles from the past storms as their parents chastised them. A few kites zipped and flapped in the winds, and a group of teen Omegas sat atop a skyscraper as they sipped cans of sodas. A few of them still had cheeks hazed with Heat as it faded from their systems. 

 

Smitty had blinked the fog from his eyes and mind away, wincing as a headache clawed greedily at his skull. Jonathan has also seemed to wake from his Heat, groaning and rubbing a groggy hand through matted hair and feathers. Jonathan flicked his bright gaze toward Smitty, scoffing before saying,  
“Your hair is growing out.”  
Smitty hummed, pulling the long strands as far as he could into his vision before noticing the streaks of his natural brown that now topped his head. The dove shrugged and smiled at the jay,  
“At least I don’t have a mullet, your hair is almost as long as Evan’s!”  
Jonathan ran a hand through his also long hair, flipping it into his face with a smirk.  
“It’s not a phase mom,”  
He joked with a deep voice.   
“I’ve seen your clothing, it’s who you are,”  
Smitty teased back, earning a shove from Jon.   
The two of them giggled, faces still dusted with blush.   
When they calmed down, Jon tilted his head at Smitt’s new hair.  
“I like it, you should keep your hair like that.”  
Smitty hummed, looking back at the slightly curly strands that had fallen into his face.   
“I’ll think about it, I’ll see what it looks like when its not covered in knots.”  
Jon scoffed, stretching his right wing before pausing and frowning. Smitty copied him in the stretch, but tilted his head at the jay when he frowned.  
“Jonny? What’s up?”  
“Oh.”

Smitty sat up a bit to see Jonathan was looking at his left wing, bound in a similar fashion to the dove’s.  
Jonathan ran a delicate hand over the bandaged wing, wincing at the touch.   
“Does it hurt?”  
Smitty asked carefully. Jon paused before nodding. They were quiet for a while as Jon carefully maneuvered it so it hung lifelessly off the bed.  
“Did Brock help you patch me up?”  
Jonathan asked finally, looking up from all the bandages that littered his body. Smitty nodded, offering the jay a small smile,  
“You were pretty bad, John and Brock helped me save your life.”  
Jonathan hummed in acknowledgement, running a hand through his hair again before sighing.  
“I’m starving.”  
Smitty giggled at the comment, Jon joining him before the dove added,  
“Me too. Want to head down and raid the kitchen?”  
“Hell yeah!”

Soon, the two were ducking out of their room full of morning light, dashing down the stairs and leaving a trail of giggles.   
The rest of the gang was already awake, and glanced curiously at the thundering steps before the two Omegas burst from the stairs. The smell of bacon and waffles wafted around the room, and Smitty could already feel his mouth begin to water as he raced Jonathan to the sizzling plate of waffles. Brock was standing nearby, smiling as he continued making more of the breakfast.  
“Good morning you two, I see you’re out of your Heats,”  
Smitty hummed an agreement, licking his lips as he stacked several of the thick waffles onto his plate and drowned it in syrup like the true Canadian he was. Jonathan was quick to copy him, and then they got twin cups of orange juice before they plopped down at the table, Jonathan sandwiched between Evan and Smitty.   
Smitty saw the looks the Alpha cast at the jay-wing, a fond smile as the Omega shoveled the breakfast into his mouth. 

The dove was brought back toward the Alpha on his other side by a kiss pressed to his temple, turning and giving John a syrup-filled grin. The antelope chuckled at his dopey expression, then ran gentle fingers through Smitt’s hair and helped him untangle the two-toned strands.  
“Nice hair,”  
John said with a smirk as he turned back toward his own waffles.  
“Thanks, only the finest for yours truly.”  
They giggled at the phrase, and soon the table was bubbling with laughter and light conversation.

Eventually, Brock came to the table and sat down himself, and with a bright smile chirped,  
“By the way Smitty, your wing should be fully healed, want to take the bandages off?”  
The dove stared wide-eyed at Brock before turning and eagerly tearing the wrappings off.  
When the white gauze was off, he stretched the wing.  
Pearly, shiny feathers caught the morning light and Smitty beamed at the ache in the unused limb.  
“Thank you Brock!”  
Smitty squeaked, quivering with excitement. Brock sent him a wink and John pressed a kiss to his lips, both of them smiling.  
While they were pressed together and Smitty was bringing both of his wings back toward him, Brock asked,  
“Jon, how does your wing feel?”

Smitty pulled apart to glance at the jay, quieting John’s huff by entwining their fingers. Jonathan didn’t answer immediately, taking another bite of the syrup-soaked waffles as Evan’s expression turned worried.  
“It-It hurts,”  
He answered finally, and Brock tilted his head, his hazel eyes glinting with concern.  
“How bad?”  
The jay-wing hummed, and whispered,  
“A bit,  
Before taking another bite. Brock fell quiet, poking at his waffles before hissing,  
“Darn it! I really hoped you being in Heat would help.”

“Help what?”  
Smitty asked, John giving his fingers a squeeze.  
“His wing, it was practically shattered... but I hoped the Heat would help the bones mend. If it still hurts then maybe-”  
Brock cut himself off, biting his lip nervously.  
“Maybe what?”  
Jonathan pressed, setting his fork down.  
“Then...we may need to take the wing off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	46. Chapter 45

The table fell silent at the comment, and Jonathan’s blue gaze fell toward his plate.  
“So, I’ll never be able to fly…”  
“I’m so sorry Jon,”  
Brock tried to soothe from the other side of the table,  
“I tried to save it, but- the bones were like pieces of glass.”  
Jonathan stared at his plate for a bit longer before he stood up.  
“Th-thanks Brock. I-I-I’m not hungry.”  
The jay scuttled back toward the stairs, hands wringing when he seemed to realize the absence of his hoodie.  
When he vanished, Evan stood up.  
“I’m going to talk to him,”  
He announced, dark eyes skimming over the table like he was looking for someone to argue against it. However, nobody spoke, and the elk’s gaze paused on Smitty. The dove gave him a small nod of encouragement, and then the Alpha was quick to follow up the stairs.

***

When Jonathan opened the door to his bedroom, he was hit with a cloud of milk and cherries. He half expected Smitty himself to be in the room, but he quickly realized he could smell his own lofty lavender and vanilla tangled with the dove’s. He stumbled when he realized he could recognize the scent, nearly tripping over his now-throbbing wing.  
He had found it!  
His scent that had managed to evade him for years.  
He paused, relishing in the soothing scent before sighing.  
He didn’t feel any different.  
No powerful revelation of who he was and should become, it was just… him.  
He felt his heart hitch with anxiety when he was reminded of the absence of his trusty azure hoodie. He restarted his feet toward the closet, taking lungfuls of both of the calming Omega scents as he tried to fight the tears that were lining his eyes.

He forced the door open and fingered through the few shirts he had inside, frowning when he couldn’t find his hoodie.He even dug through the small pile Smitty had collected of his own clothing at the bottom, but there was no sign of the calming blue. He stepped back and sniffled, the lump in his throat growing painful as he tried to swallow his sorrows.  
He slowly turned back toward the blanket-covered bed, and collapsed into one of the broken nests. He nestled into one of the softer blankets, tucking his good wing beside him as he tried to ignore the needles of pain that nipped his bound one.

“Jonathan?”  
The Omega stiffened at the voice, but poked his head out to see Evan standing in the doorway, the elk wearing a tragic expression that made Jon’s stomach twist uncomfortably.  
“W-what are you doing here?”  
The Omega asked quietly, his voice cracked and shattered as bad as his wing bones.  
“Checking on you. Mind if I come in?”  
There was a part of Jon that wanted to say no, cry and brood until he was forgotten about completely.  
But he knew that wouldn’t happen.

“S-sure.”  
Evan closed the door behind him, and the Omega patted the spot beside him inside the nest. As soon as the Alpha was situated comfortably inside, he spoke quietly,  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
The elk’s eyes were dilated slightly from the intense Omega scents, but it seemed that the actual Heat scents had faded enough to not affect him.  
Jonathan sighed, resting his head on his knees as he tried to keep his injured wing out of Evan’s way.  
“I dunno. I-I know I need to c-c.... lose it, it- it hurts pretty bad. B-but I-I-I never learned h-how to fly and-”  
His voice cracked further, and tears trickled pitifully down his cheeks as he tried to swallow his sobs.

Evan slowly placed his hand on the Omega’s back, and after he realized Jon was okay with the touch, rubbed soothing circles.  
“I know I’m not an Omega, and I may not know everything going on, but know that I will be here if you need someone. We can… not fly together.”  
He spoke the last words cautiously, like he was speaking toward a butterfly and worried his breath would tear the fragile wings.  
“Th-thanks Ev,”  
Jon mumbled into his knees. He slowly shifted himself closer to the Alpha, finding comfort in the pine scent and contact as he leaned against his shoulder.

“Of course Jon,”  
The elk cooed, still tracing lazy circles into Jonathan’s back.   
The Omega wasn’t sure when or how the dam broke, but soon his sobs were causing him to tremble and his sight was blurred with his tears.  
Evan held him close, rocking him and carefully avoiding the damaged wing as he just let Jon cry until his heart still thrummed with sorrow but no more tears could fill his gaze. 

They sat in the quiet for a bit, listening to the muted sounds of cars and birds outside, and the muffled laughter and conversations from downstairs.  
Eventually, Evan spoke,  
“When do you want Brock to do it?”  
Jonathan let out a broken hum, his voice raw from his previous wailing,  
“I’m not sure. I-I want my hoodie back though.”  
Evan paused in his rocking before slowly resuming.  
“They had to cut the old one off of you to save your life. We can get you a new one though.”  
Jonathan sniffled, but nodded against the Alpha’s chest. The confident, powerful beats of the Alpha’s heart did wonders to soothe his racing one.   
“Did you have one at your old house? We could go by and pick it up if it will make you feel better,”  
Evan offered. Jonathan shook his head.  
“No, I only had that small gray one. I… I did have a few other things there though.”  
“Like what?”  
“W-well, I had my mask, and a r-really old teddy bear. Couple hundred dollars and some old granola bars?”  
He felt and heard the pleasant rumble from Evan’s chest as he chuckled,  
“You sure lived light.”  
Jon nodded,  
“Never kn-knew if I’d ever have to abandon home. Who knew I’d end up h-here?”  
“Me, I kinda sent for you.”  
Jonathan scoffed,  
“Yeah, I g-guess.”

They sat in the silence again, Evan rocking Jonathan’s form as his eyelids slowly began to drift closed. At some point Jon felt Evan’s quiet question through his chest,  
“Jon? You still awake?”  
The Omega answered with a drowsy hum, peeking his eyes open only a fraction to look at the Alpha above him.   
Evan smiled at the lazy response, then let it fade away as he stared out the window.  
“Have… have you ever been in a relationship?”

Jonathan blinked his eyes open, taking in the Alpha’s far-off expression before letting a sigh leak from his lips.  
“N-no, only one I-I ever got close to w-was one of the reasons I got kicked from home.”  
“You were kicked from home?”  
“Parents didn’t ap-pprove of ‘swapped genders’. Y-You know, girls have t-to be Omegas and boys have to b-be Alphas?”  
Evan frowned, his lips pressed into a thin line.  
“That doesn’t make sense. There are about the same amount of Omega guys as girls.”  
“R-Really? Did they t-teach that in school?”  
Evan scoffed,  
“Dunno, ran away before I could learn.”  
“You ran away?”  
“It was to protect Brock. He taught me everything I know.”

There was a whistle of wind outside the window.  
“What about y-you? Any Omegas throwing th-themselves at you?”  
Evan scoffed at the mental image, shaking his head before glancing down at the Omega in his arms.  
“No, but I’ve been throwing myself at someone for a while now. Surprised they haven’t noticed yet.”  
Jonathan’s eyes widened as he gasped excitedly.  
He ignored the flutter through his heart.  
“R-Really? Who?”

Evan giggled, smirking before asking,  
“You really want to know?”  
“Of c-course!”  
The Alpha opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of the door opening.

“Jon? Evan?”  
Both the Omega and Alpha turned toward the new voice, seeing Smitty standing in the doorway.  
“Hey Smitt,”  
Evan sighed with a smile, resuming Jonathan’s rocking. Smitty glanced between the two before smiling and saying,  
“The guys are getting ready to play Monopoly, figured I’d let you two know!”  
The dove glanced at Jonathan again and gave him an extra bright smile before ducking back out of the room.

Jonathan bit his lip as Evan turned back to look at him, a small smile on his lips.  
“Do you want to go play? Or we can ask Brock to do it now, or I can send you and a couple guys to go pick up your stuff.”  
Jonathan hummed against the Alpha’s chest, taking another deep breath of pine before deciding,  
“I-I want to p-pick up some stuff. I-If it’s even s-still there.”  
Evan nodded, then slowly shifted Jon from his lap before he carefully crept from the nest and offered a hand to the Omega.  
Jonathan took it, opening his good wing for balance to stand up before jumping off the bed, the action causing a spark of pain in his bad wing and making him hiss.  
“Are you okay?”  
Evan asked, giving Jon’s hand a squeeze as they made eye contact.  
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. L-Let’s go so I can… get fixed.”  
Evan nodded and offered a smile before the two made it downstairs together, hand in hand.

Jonathan didn’t realize they were linked until Marcel let out a wolf-whistle, his eyebrows cocked with interest. The sound caused everyone else to look, Smitty, Craig, and Ohm especially looking at the two as Jonathan felt his face burn with embarrassment.  
Brock hushed them all before they could grow too rowdy, and Evan sent him a thankful smile before ushering the eagle over.

“Hey Brock,”  
Evan started, giving Jon’s hand a squeeze,  
“Jonathan left some stuff at his old place. Do you mind taking Brian and going to help him get his things?”  
Brock sent the jay a reassuring smile before nodding,  
“Of course! When do you want to leave?”  
“A-as soon as possible,”  
Jon answered, giving Evan’s hand a squeeze back as he tried to push his nerves down,  
‘“W-when we get back c-can you… take care of my wing?”  
Brock paused before nodding solemnly, and he was quick to grab Brian to leave.

As the couple was grabbing a few things (like a few weapons, could never be too careful), Jonathan waited beside the door that lead downstairs. Evan had taken Brian’s place in the game and was already laughing and enjoying the fun from where he was sat between Smitty and Ohm.  
Anthony spoke up suddenly, gasping as if he had just remembered something,  
“Oh! Evan, the Derp Crew called, they have our supplies in.”  
“Oh! That’s great!”  
Evan said cheerfully as he rolled the die, moving his thimble four spaces,  
“Anyone want to volunteer to go pick it up?”  
He asked, looking around the group with a toothy grin. Luke sighed from where he was already in debt, raising his hand with a groan.  
“I know I ain’t winning, I’ll go.”  
“I’ll come with!”  
Ohm said cheerfully from his seat, his bandaged leg resting across Luke’s lap,  
“It’s just a supply run, and I can steal Tyler’s crutches for a bit!”

The mentioned Alpha huffed in annoyance, and Luke glanced at him with a shrug.  
“What do you say boss?”  
Tyler took his crutches that were leaning against his chair and passed them toward Ohm, shrugging and reasoning,  
“Brock said he was getting some more anyway.”

As Luke and Ohm got ready to get going on their run, (Ohm needing the kudu’s help in adjusting the height of the crutches, as he wasn’t as tall as Tyler) Brock and Brian came back, smiling at Jonathan before asking,  
“Ready?”  
“A-as I’ll ever be,”  
Jonathan sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	47. Chapter 46

Jonathan tapped his foot on the ground as the truck rumbled down the road, the radio quiet as they sped past cars.  
“Sorry we couldn’t just walk there,”  
Brock said, looking through the rear-view mirror to look at Jon,  
“We just figured it’d be safer in a car.”  
“And we have space for yer stuff in here,”  
Brian offered over his shoulder, turning to send Jonathan his own reassuring smirk.  
Jon tried to reciprocate, but his smile felt weak on his lips, and he turned to look out the window instead.  
It didn’t take long for them to pull up to the alleyway, and Jonathan lead them through the single alley between the road and his house.   
When he stepped past the familiar piece of graffiti, he stopped.  
It looked as shitty as he remembered it.

His heart leaped giddily as he entered the building, Brock and Brian on his tail. Jonathan looked around, taking a breath of the moldy air and nearly gasping at the rush of memories that hit him. 

_The small kid held his jacket tight around him, breaths coming in short panicked gasps as sirens screamed down the road and past him. When the flashing lights stopped illuminating the area, he looked down at the bag of fruits and breads he had stolen from a lady. His stomach growled impatiently, and he slowly picked up an apple as he took more steps into the abandoned building.  
He would be safe here for now._

He blinked from the memory and turned toward his old bed, still tattered and dappled with mysterious sains.  
He wouldn’t sit on it, not when he was already used to the soft mattresses back at base, but the familiar sight made him smile all the same.  
“You… really lived here?”  
Brock asked from the door, holding his shirt up to his nose to shield himself from the odor.   
“Yeah,”  
Jonathan laughed, spinning around to look at where he had hidden a few of his things.  
He found his mask and his stash of money, but he couldn’t find his bear.

He unloaded the few things into the truck, then called to Brock and Brian,  
“I’ll check the bathroom, be right back!”  
“Alright!”  
Brock called into the house, Brian back to sitting in the truck to avoid the smell of the building.

Jonathan jogged back inside, ignoring the prickles of pain through his wing as he walked toward the crumbling bathroom.  
The first thing he did was look at the shattered mirror, smiling at his distorted reflection.  
Smitty was right, his hair was getting longer again.

There was a movement in the background of his reflection.  
Jonathan’s eyes widened and he whipped around when there was a prick in his thigh. He hissed at the pain, but focused on the dark-clothed figure in front of him. He threw a couple punches, ignoring the tingling numbness that was beginning to crawl up his arms and down his legs. The attacker dodged the fists easily, but didn’t retaliate.   
He seemed to be waiting.  
Jonathan let out a threatening hiss as he lost feeling to all his limbs, the scent of pepper in the air making him sneeze.  
His legs gave out, and his wing was spread uncomfortably across the mildew-covered floor.  
His vision was swimming as he strained to stay awake.  
The attacker let out a dark chuckle as Jonathan’s hands were bound.  
It didn’t take long for the world to fall dark.

***

Brock leaned against the car door, Brian on the other side with the window rolled down, allowing him access to the Omega’s hair as he ran his fingers through the mohawk.  
Sirens squealed in the distance.  
A raven let out a caw on an unseen roof.  
There was another rush of air as another car passed them.  
That had been the fourth one since Jonathan went inside. 

Brock’s wings twitched anxiously, and he tried to let himself be comforted by the Alpha playing with his hair.  
The wind whipped through the alley.  
Another car drove past.  
The nearby neon signs buzzed with electricity.  
A plastic bag tumbled past as it was carried away by the breeze.  
Another car drove past.  
A flock of pigeons took off across the street.  
Another car.

“What is taking him so long?”  
Brock asked aloud, stepping away from the truck as his feet urged to be pacing.   
“Maybe he has more than he thought?”  
Brian offered, leaning out of the window. Brock sighed, glancing back at the building.  
“Then I’m going to help him. You can stay here if you want.”  
Brock walked quickly into the makeshift house, unable to wait any longer and see if his mate was following or not.

When he walked inside, he was again punched by the smell of mildew and mold.  
There was no way it was good for him to be breathing this.  
He pressed his shirt back up to his nose and walked toward what he could only guess was the bathroom, calling out,  
“Jonathan?”  
There was no response.  
He opened the door, brows furrowing when he realized the small room was empty.   
It smelled heavily of Jonathan and an Alpha.  
Brock’s heart-rate picked up, and he sent a panicked look at the floor that was dappled in azure feathers.   
There was a glint of something else.  
When he picked up the syringe, his heart plummeted.

***

Evan laughed as Tyler had to pay Lui another thousand dollars, the Beta clearly winning by the stack of fake money beside him.  
Evan’s phone rang.  
He pulled it from his pocket, checking the name and frowning when he saw “Moo”.   
He hit answer as Craig rolled his turn.

“Hello?”  
“He’s gone.”  
“What?”  
Evan’s playful expression was quick to fall, concern shrouding him as he listened to his friend.  
“He-he said he was getting one more thing and now he’s gone. All that’s left is a feather and a syringe.”  
Evan was quiet, not paying attention when Smitty handed him the die. Instead of rolling them, he stood up from the table.  
“What do you mean?”  
“There was a hole in the back, and it reeks of Alpha, but this place smells so bad I can’t really tell if it was Canaries or someone else.”

“Evan?”  
Tyler asked from where he had already gone bankrupt, his icy eyes glazed with worry,  
“What’s wrong?”  
Evan shook his head in response before tuning back in to the Omega,  
“Brock, what happened?”  
“Jonathan was kidnapped.”

The die clattered to the floor.  
“What?”  
“He’s-he’s gone! I can’t find anything to track him!”  
Evan nearly dropped his phone as shock washed over him, and he slowly adjusted his hold on the device before speaking slowly,  
“Come back to base.”  
He hung up without waiting for an answer.

“Evan? What happened?”  
Tyler pressed, sitting up from where he had been slouched.  
Evan blinked before saying quietly,  
“They lost Jon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	48. Chapter 47

Tyler watched Evan for a moment, the Alpha’s emotions visibly at war as his eyes flashed dangerously. The elk was pacing the floor, the game of monopoly long since forgotten.  
“How did they lose him?”  
Smitty asked, his wings twitching where he fidgeted in his chair. John was trailing soothing fingers down the dove’s feathers.  
“He had gone inside to grab something, apparently there was a back entrance and Brock found some kind of syringe.”  
Evan’s voice was low, words dark as waves of fury radiated off of him.  
Tyler really wished he could stand.  
Instead, he strengthened his scent, the smell of the beach making Evan glance at him curiously.  
“Evan, you need to calm down. I’m sure we’ll find him.”  
The Alpha’s charcoal eyes narrowed, but he did slow the wringing of his hands, and the waves of anger subsided.

“When they get here we’ll talk to them, until then, let’s-”  
He was cut off by the sound of quick steps coming up the stairs, and all eyes flickered toward the door when it opened.

“I can explain,”  
Was the first thing Brock said, his hands held up defensively and his wings tense behind him. Evan whirled around to face the Omega, eyes cold and his lips threatened to pull into a snarl. Brian, however, stood beside his mate, eyeing Evan as they walked closer to the group.  
“Please do,”  
Tyler spoke up, already rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Brock glanced at Evan and Smitty before laying out the details of their short trip, and how they found Jonathan’s disappearance.   
It didn’t seem there was much to go off of.  
“What did you say it smelled like?”  
Tyler questioned, still stuck in his seat from the game as everyone else had migrated around the room.  
“It smelled like Alphas in there, maybe three,”  
Brock answered, sipping at the cup of water he had gotten.  
“Canaries?”  
“Maybe, I didn’t see them at all.”  
Tyler ran a hand over his face before waving his hand around,  
“Any specific scents? One you recognize at all?”  
Brock sighed, eyes squinting as he tried to remember.  
“One of them was pepper, and then I think peanuts and blackberry.”  
“Peanuts?”  
Marcel spoke up from where he leaned against the wall,  
“I know there was a Canary that smelled like peanuts, it could be a different Alpha though.”

“Do you have the syringe with you?”  
Lui asked suddenly, standing from where he had been sitting beside Nogla. Brock looked surprised at the question, but suddenly started patting down his pockets as Brian let out a scoff.  
“I told ‘im not to, coulda been a heroin needle fer all we knew-”  
The Alpha was cut off by Brock handing the Beta a baggied syringe.  
Nobody questioned where he got the bag from.  
Lui turned the needle around in his hands before snapping,  
“I fucking knew it.”  
“Knew what?”  
Several voices asked in unison as Lui continued to eye the needle. He stopped turning it to point at some sort of brand that was on the side.  
“Robin Industries,”  
Lui looked up and swept his gaze across the gang,  
“The main supplier of the Canaries.”

“It’s them.”  
Evan said grimly from where he was slouched over in a chair,  
“The Canaries have Jonathan?”  
Smitty spoke softly from where he was leaning on John’s shoulder, his wings shrouding the couple as milk and cherries danced with rain. 

“That’s what it’s looking like,”  
Tyler affirmed.   
“How did they know we would be there?”  
Brock questioned suddenly, looking defeatedly at his cup,  
“It was a spur of the moment thing, and we didn’t smell anyone there when we arrived.”  
It was quiet for a bit before Smitty said,  
“What if somebody told them?”

The question was cautious, but accusatory glares still pointed toward the dove.  
Except for Tyler and Brian.  
They glanced at Craig, who swallowed before ducking his head.  
“Craig?”  
Brian asked, his tone sharp. He didn’t ask the rest of the question, sparing the Omega from the gang’s wrath for a bit longer, but his azure eyes spoke for him.  
Craig was quick to look up and shake his head as the rest of the gang turned their curious stares toward the pigeon, shrugging before mumbling,  
“I haven’t heard anything new…”

Again a tense silence dripped from the ceilings, Tyler huffing before it could continue for long,  
“We’ve already had this problem before. We aren't doing it again,”  
He growled the warning before continuing,  
“We’ll wait for Luke and Ohm to come home, then we’ll go from there. Agreed?”  
Everyone nodded or murmured an agreement before Tyler shooed them off, Anthony setting up the Switch as Brock headed toward the kitchen to cook something.  
Tyler glanced at Evan one more time, the elk’s eyes ominous as he stared at his hands.  
He looked up, and they locked eyes for a moment.  
Tyler gave him an assuring nod, they would find Jonathan.  
Evan nodded slowly before dropping his gaze, he really hoped so.

***

Squirrel was cleaning his gun as two female Alphas walked past.  
They were giggling about some inside joke.  
His phone vibrated on the table, the screen lighting up to show a familiar number.  
“Hello?”  
“We got him.”  
The kid blinked in surprise, dropping the dirty cloth on the table.  
“What?”  
“We got him. Where do you want to rendezvous?”  
Squirrel pinched his eyebrows together.  
“Can’t the others bring him in?”  
“Not their department. Remember, Rilla’s on defense and Bryce isn’t supposed to leave in general.”  
Squirrel huffed.  
“Why was bringing one of the Omegas out a good idea again?”  
“Because the almond part of his scent melds really well to yours- it smells like there were three Alphas in there.”  
Squirrel paused, glancing at the gun on the table.  
“And getting him will get enough for my college?”  
“It’ll get you more than you know what to do with, kid.”  
Squirrel’s eyes widened and he had to stifle a gasp.  
He was finally escaping Los Santos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	49. Chapter 48

When the rumble in the garage signalled the arrival of the supplies, nobody expected Luke to be alone.  
In his arms was a new pair of crutches, that he quickly handed to Tyler, but instead of gratitude, he only got a suspicious glare.  
“Where’s Ohm?”  
The kudu blinked in confusion, which did nothing to soothe Smitty’s nerves.  
“Yes, thank you Luke for gifting me the ability to walk again, it really means a lot,”  
Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes before plopping down on the couch.  
The video game was paused to look at the Alpha.  
“Where’s Ohm?”  
Brian asked, walking out of the kitchen and wiping flour onto his jeans.  
“He saw a couple of school friends on the street and they asked to hangout, I figured it was fine and let him go with his crutches. Why is everybody in my damned business?”  
Matching warry glances were sent around the gang before Evan spoke up,  
“Jonathan was kidnapped by the Canaries.”  
Luke was quiet for a moment to process what was said before he scoffed,  
“How the hell did that happen?”  
“Someone told them Brian and I were taking him to his old house,”  
Brock added, joining the crowd in the living room and crossing his arms. Luke went quiet again under everybody’s stares before he stood up.  
“Ya’ll better not be accusing my boyfriend of being the fucking traitor. That’s bullshit!”  
“Then call him.”

Eyes flickered toward Evan’s hollow expression, charcoal eyes more of a void than embers of a fire like they had been earlier. Luke glanced at Evan before rolling his eyes.  
“What? Don’t trust him?”  
“No.”  
Evan’s reply was blunt, full of venom as Luke flinched.  
“I don’t trust a lot of people right now, actually,”  
Evan muttered with a shrug, scanning over the gang before settling on Luke again.  
“Call him. See if he’s really out with his friends right now.”  
Luke scoffed again, but pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times before putting it against his ear.  
His annoyed expression molded to confusion after the second ring.  
His eyebrows creased with worry when he dialed Ohm’s number again.  
Evan sighed, drawing attention back to him before he shrugged.  
“You shut the hell up,”  
Luke growled, phone pressed to his ear as he tried a third time,  
“He’s probably busy.”

“How many times does it usually ring before he answers you?”  
Tyler questioned, finally standing on the new crutches and clicking his way toward the others. Luke didn’t answer, snarling when it went to voicemail.  
Ohm wasn’t answering.  
“I think we have our suspect,”  
Evan said simply, stepping off from leaning on the wall to take a few steps toward the big window beside the table.  
“No! I know- h-he wouldn’t…”  
Luke’s voice faltered as he stared at the phone in his hand. Lui whispered something to Nogla with a frown. Their fingers were laced together.  
There was silence.  
Long and drawn out as hope trickled out of Luke’s features.  
Smitty could almost hear the pieces of the Alpha’s heart clatter to the floor like broken glass.

A ringtone.  
All attention again turned toward the device in Luke’s hand and the kudu brightened so quickly Smitt was surprised he didn’t get whiplash.  
Luke pressed answer and chirped,  
“Ohm! I was just-”  
He paused, his smile dropping to a puzzled frown.  
“Oh...okay then. When can I-”  
Again he was cut off, the creases only growing by whatever the Omega was saying on the other side. Finally, Luke managed to say,  
“Alright. I love you.”  
The click that signalled the end of the call was too quick for the other dove to have reciprocated the last remarks.

“What did he say?”  
Tyler questioned immediately, his icy eyes narrowed as he watched the kudu. Luke took a few breaths before he answered.  
“He said that he was going to have his phone off and wouldn’t be able to talk to me for a while. When I tried to ask when we could talk again, he just said he’d be home soon.”  
“And I imagine he didn’t say how soon?”  
Evan deadpanned, Luke grimacing before shaking his head. The elk let out a growl-laced huff, turning to look back out the window as he crossed his arms again.  
The base dripped with heavy silence before Smitty spoke up indignantly,  
“We’ll deal with him later. For now, we need to find Jonathan before he’s locked up on a ship and sold off to where we never see him again.”  
A low growl emanated from the elk at the comment, but everyone else was nodding.  
“Where do we start?”  
Anthony asked, his dark eyes flicking around the group before hesitating on Smitty.  
“We start back at Jon’s old place. Follow what little we can find,”  
Tyler began, his crutches clicking as he moved further into the center of the group,  
“We’ll send scouting groups of Alphas on the ground and Omegas in the skies. Stay on mic to communicate.”  
Tyler glanced around the group, his eyes pausing only a moment on Evan.  
“We’ll find him. He’s part of our family.”

***

Jonathan’s eyelids flickered heavily as his head hung. He could hear voices around him, warped and unintelligible. His head felt like a bowling ball, and it was hard for him to lift it and get a bearing on his surroundings.  
It was dark.   
He blinked at the intruding light of streetlamps, but was able to register he was in the back of some sort of car.  
The voices were outside, and the air smelled like some sort of mix of Alphas.  
He tried to recall how he got there but his mind was blank, and trying to remember made his head feel like a drill was boring through it.   
He stopped to prevent making any pained noise, and instead focused on trying to shake off his grogginess.   
The back of the van opened and Jonathan looked up in surprise.  
An ibex-horn Alpha stared at him for a moment before smirking.  
“Morning, crown jewel,”  
He drawled, not moving from where he had stood to open the doors. Jonathan recoiled at the nickname, making the Alpha chuckle.  
“You know, it’s hard to find jays like yourself. Always so aggressive, they hurt themselves and lose value so quick. Plus, wings never pay as well as living prizes.”  
The Alpha reached toward Jon, cupping his chin in his palm.  
Jonathan’s stomach rolled viciously, and he thought he might just throw up into this guy’s hand.  
“You’ll make someone _really_ happy, and the rest of us a _very_ pretty penny.”  
Jonathan gagged, and the Alpha took his hand away in case Jonathan really did throw up then and there. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the nauseous Omega, he did manage to swallow the bile before it could spill out over the back of the van.  
Jonathan forced himself to ignore the stains of crimson and other mysterious colors that dappled the floor.  
“Well, diamond in the rough,”  
The Alpha sneered, taking a few steps back,  
“Time to go back to sleep.”  
There was a prick in Jon’s other thigh.  
Cerulean eyes roll back as his head hung heavy again.  
His drug-induced sleep was laced with pine forests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	50. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: Major gore**

Thick fog swamped the city. It clouded vision and made it nearly impossible to see. Sight was limited to a few feet in front of faces, and Omegas were grounded in fear of crashing into buildings or each other.   
Search parties were desperate and groggy as they trudged through empty streets on foot.

John and Smitty were together, Brock and Brian having split from them a block or two back. They had decided checking the outer edges of the city would be good, since that had been the rumored place that Canaries prepped Omegas for “shipping”. Smitty had felt sick as he walked the streets, memories flashing behind his eyes as he remembered walking the same streets several years back.  
Hands wrapping around his face and binding his wings.  
His coffee spilling across the concrete as panic filled him.  
Those 2 months he spent waiting to be shipped off to who knew where…

“Smitt? You okay?”  
The dove blinked from his mind, glancing at John’s worried gaze before sending him a weak smile.  
“Y-yeah.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?”

_Smitty saw John’s bedroom, hardly furnished as the antelope bounced a tennis ball against the wall. They had spent night after night together, trading bases and getting to know one another. They had spilled their stories, John getting dragged in by his friends when he was 17 and never turning back. Smitty’s unfortunate Canary run-in forcing him into their new life whether he liked it or not…_

“No, I’m fine.”  
The Alpha nodded, catching the dove’s fingers and giving his hand a comforting squeeze. Smitty squeezed back, sighing as he turned his gaze back to the scenery around them.   
Most of it was lost to the haze of the fog, but the neon signs of the city stained parts red and blue like spray paint.  
Streetlights dyed the fog golden like a stairway to heaven itself.  
“You know,”  
John said after a few moments of listening to their feet scuff concrete,  
“If this wasn’t such a dire situation, this would be a cute date.”

Smitty scoffed at the comment, his giggles adding to the magical feel of the street.  
“Yeah, I guess. If you’re into Silent Hill.”  
They both laughed at the reference, a passing car whisking past them.  
“Can’t wait to have the Canaries come out dressed as some of those monsters,”  
John commented, Smitty shivering at the thought.  
“That’s disgusting and I hope I never have to think of that image again,”  
The dove retorted, swinging their interlaced fingers.  
“Oh come on, I bet if I wore one in the bedroom it’d become your new kink.”  
“Thank you John, for the worst mental image of my life!”  
Smitty shrieked, trying to pull his hand from John as the antelope gripped it tighter.  
“Aw, I wouldn’t even be a cute monster?”  
“You’ll be a single monster if you don’t stop!”  
That shut the Alpha up, only for his laughter to dance and swim through the air.

They turned down an old-looking road, crumbling houses and an old factory lining the broken sidewalk.  
“Now it _really_ is Silent Hill,”  
Smitty scoffed, looking around the fog-filled road.  
“No kidding…”  
John added, also trying to scan for life,  
“This place is well past Misfits area, I’ve never been here before.”  
Smitty hummed in acknowledgment, then paused.  
He could hear a whine.

“Smitt? See something?”  
John glanced to where Smitty was staring before looking back at his boyfriend.  
“No, I hear something. Follow me.”  
The Omega walked past another rotting house before turning between it and another building, some sort of grocery store. The alleyway opened up behind the two buildings, creating a sort of clearing between the surrounding buildings.  
There were rusted trash cans near a few of the back doors, but what caught the gang member’s attention was the blue jay tied to a chair in the middle of the space.

Smitty’s eyes opened and he immediately tried to approach Jonathan, only for his wrist to be caught.  
“John let go!”  
The dove hissed, his heartbeat frantic as he glanced back at the sleeping Omega. Another high-pitched whine leaked from the jay before he fell silent.  
“It’s a trap, we need backup,”  
The Alpha reasoned, pulling his boyfriend’s gaze back to him,  
“Go get Evan, I’ll call the others.”  
“But-”  
“I’ll stay here. Nothing will happen, I promise.”

The riled up Omega stared at John for a moment, the Alpha’s green eyes calming him somewhat.  
He glanced back at Jonathan and around the clearing.  
He felt like he was being watched.

He shook off the feeling before he huffed,  
“Fine. Be careful.”  
“I will.”  
They exchanged a kiss before Smitty bolted, running faster than he ever had before.  
He’d never wished fog would leave quicker.

***

The swirling gray mass shrouded the city from view when Evan looked out of the base windows, the balcony no clearer and resulting in the same curtain of gray. Evan checked his watch to see it read 6:00 am. 

Ohm was supposed to be back by now. Whatever supplies or party or whatever it had been should have finished in a few hours, and the fact the dove had been gone for nearly 2 days made his stomach twist anxiously.   
2 days with no sign of gray or blue.  
What if they never found Jonathan again?  
What if he was gone for good?

He turned at the sound of the door opening, surprised to see not a silver dove, but a white one.  
The Omega’s wings were puffed out and his eyes were wide as he rushed toward the elk.  
“Evan! We found him!”

*

The fog turned to rain.  
Rain that poured on the city and fell in heavy droplets, hard enough to feel like stones and in such amounts the fastest setting couldn’t clear windshields of it all.  
Lightning struck and streamed throughout the sky, flashing bright and making it seem like the entire world was being taken picture of.   
The outskirt streets flashed under the bright light.  
It blinded drivers and scared pets, the thunder sounding like a starved beast as it tumbled and echoed through the buildings, causing them to tremble to the core.

When Evan, Smitty, and the others who had been called pulled up, Brian was standing outside an alley, his leather jacket pulled up to act like a poor hood. Rain flowed off his head and horns like a river.  
The second they stepped out of the cars they were soaked.  
“He’s back here, we don’t think he’s hurt, but he is unconscious,”  
Brian spoke carefully, voice only just audible over the roar of the rain. The group collectively nodded, then slipped into the alley.  
The small path between old buildings split wider, showing an open area that looked to have been untouched for at least thirty years.  
Except for the chair that had a sleeping jay tied to it in the center.

Voices filtered through the alley.  
A car engine rumbled as it rushed past.  
Laughter of children could be heard as they squealed at the park a block away.  
They were on the edges of the outskirts,  
Brushing toes with the smaller gangs in Los Santos.  
The Misfits were a bit more south than where they were, but none of them planned to be very long.  
Hopefully whichever gang’s territory they were in saw the weather too poor to patrol.

“Anything suspicious?”  
Tyler asked from the earpiece, trapped in the base from the downpour.   
“Not’ing, damn near impossible to see anyt’ing out ‘ere,”  
Nogla called, desperately trying to cram himself under a roof that jutted out of the nearby buildings and shield Lui at the same time.  
“Rain smothers all scent too,”  
John added, his usually fluffy hair plastered flat against his skull. Smitty’s wasn’t any better, and he tried to shield the both of them with his wings. Craig had the hood of his jacket pulled up as he stared blankly at Jonathan. Brock and Brian shared an umbrella as Anthony shivered beneath the eagle’s wings. Marcel had draped himself over Scotty to keep the Beta warm. Luke leaned against one of the buildings with his arms crossed. His eyes carried Craig’s same hollowness.

“What do we do? I-it looks like a trap…”  
Scotty called over another boom of thunder.  
“We don’t have much of a choice.”  
Evan quipped, his voice only just heard over the sound of a car passing and throwing water into the air.  
“Ladies first,”  
Luke snarled, his chilling glare landing on Evan.  
The elk held the kudu’s scowl for only a moment before he stepped toward Jonathan.

The Omega was still in only a white t-shirt and jeans, smudged with blood and muck despite no visible injuries.  
This much rain could wash away any trace of blood though, and Evan knew they were limited on time before the jay had hypothermia, if he didn’t already.  
Evan took another step when there was the click of a gun.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  
The elk-horn froze at the voice, dark and threatening but still familiar.  
He let out a low snarl as a figure stepped from one of the other alleys, gray wings tucked neatly behind him and cast making an unsettling sound as it scraped against the uneven ground.  
His swagger didn’t carry even a hint of a limp.  
Wet hair was slicked against his scalp, a few strands clinging to his face as he gave the Alpha a smirk.

“Ohm.”  
Evan spat, eyes narrowed to slits as he took in the traitor.  
“The one and only,”  
The dove cooed, the pistol in his hand hanging leisurely in his grip,  
“It’s taken you all long enough. Especially with blabbermouth here; I guess my threat against your ex really worked!”  
The dove-wing gestured to Craig with the gun, whose shoulders slumped at the mention of Tyler. He dropped his gaze and Ohm scoffed,  
“Spineless fool. I should’ve never been worried about you.”  
Evan took a step toward the Omega and Ohm flicked the pistol to be level with the elk’s chest.  
“Second warning, Evan,”  
He tutted, hazel eyes blazing as he glared at Evan,  
“Three strikes and you’re out.”

The Omega lowered the gun again, taking a few steps toward the rest of the gang.  
“None of you were supposed to find out, obviously. I was supposed to be able to sell Jon off to the Canaries and be free of all my woes forever. It was such a beautiful plan…”  
The Omega sighed wistfully, clutching the pistol to his chest like a mock teddy bear.  
“How?”  
Scotty croaked out from behind Marcel, the deer acting like a shield between the Beta and Ohm rather than the rain.  
“How what? I know many things. Would you like to know how to make a sandwich?”  
“ _Ask him how he lied straight to my fucking face,_ ”  
Tyler snarled into the earpiece, some of the guys jumping at the sudden voice.   
“How are you walking? I thought you broke your foot,”  
Brock said over another crackle of thunder.  
Ohm’s smile grew as he turned back toward Craig,  
“Well, pigeon? Spill the details?”  
Mini sighed, not looking up from the growing puddles underfoot as he said,  
“He told me to wrap his foot so he could fake being injured. He...he said it made him seem more innocent.”  
“Well? Did it work?”  
Ohm crowed, gesturing to the gang that stood in front of him,  
“Is a certain longhorn fuming from his hidey-hole?”  
Tyler’s only response was a drawn-out growl through the earpieces.

“How did ye lie so well? Tyler is impossible to lie to!”  
Brian snapped, his lips pulled into a snarl.  
“Clearly not, I managed,”  
Ohm jeered, giving the pistol in hand a little twirl,  
“Looked up some lying tell-tales and avoided the ones Tyler would be looking for. I caught myself doing a few anyway, I was surprised he didn’t pick up on it…”  
Ohm giggled, the normally cheery sound eerie as it was tinged with madness.

“How did you contact the Canaries?”  
Lui pressed, his dark eyes cold and calculating as they took in the dove-wing.  
“Simple, really. Found one near-death at the pier and hacked into his phone. Turns out more than one of us know who Squirrel is.”  
The Beta froze at the name, his eyes widening before he took several threatening steps toward Ohm, who lazily pointed the pistol at the shorter man.  
“You better not’ve _fucking touched him_.”  
“Relax, relax,”  
The dove cooed loftily,  
“He’s fine. Back at headquarters and already waiting on my orders to sell you out.”  
Lui’s stare narrowed.  
“One click and you get the entirety of the Canaries on your tail, I’d back up,”  
Ohm hissed, his eyes narrowing until Lui caved in and stepped back.

“Why?”  
Evan questioned finally.  
“Why…”  
Ohm repeated, his tongue poking out of his lips for a moment like he was tasting the word,  
“That is the big question, isn’t it?”  
The Omega took long strides back to the sleeping jay, tapping his chin as he eyed the other Omega,  
“Why oh why would I try to kill a new member of our gang?”  
The dove paused, everyone’s eyes burning into him before he smirked.  
“Evan, do you love Jonathan?”  
The elk blinked at the question, his heart stuttering before resuming at double speed.  
“What?”  
He managed to snarl out, the question not nearly aggressive as he would’ve liked. Ohm stared at him for a long moment before he pocketed his pistol and there was a flash of silver.  
A shriek of pain was torn from Jonathan’s throat, the Omega forced from his sleep as the blade embedded in his shoulder.

“Jon!”  
Evan cried out, panic and anger quick to swirl through his chest. The jay-wing blinked heavily as he tried to clear his head, his cerulean gaze finally falling on Evan. The elk could feel his chest heaving with the intensity of his emotions, his fingers twitching as everything inside him willed to go and protect the Omega.  
The sharpened glare from Ohm was the only reason he still didn’t move.  
“Oh good, he’s awake!”  
Ohm chirped happily, his intense stare boring into Evan,  
“Why don’t you tell him before he’s gone forever?”  
“Ev’n? Wha’s goin’ on?”  
Jonathan croaked out, a frown taking ugly residence on the jay-wing’s face.   
“Yeah Evey-poo,”  
Ohm purred, his expression looking maniac when lightning flashed,  
“What is going on? You going to confess before your precious blue jay is taken?”

Evan glowered at Ohm, again walking toward the dove before the knife was yanked from Jonathan’s shoulder and pointed at Evan. The jay-wing let out a desperate cry of pain, and Evan watched as more blood soaked his white shirt.  
“I said three strikes Evan, that means you’re out,”  
Ohm turned back to the whimpering Omega beside him, a smirk crawling up his lips,  
“But I’ll give you one more chance. For a price.”  
Ohm again sunk the knife into Jonathan’s flesh, the jay screaming out a sob that tore Evan _apart_. The dove didn’t stop though, moving the deadly sharp blade further down the Omega’s back as Jonathan let out throat-tearing cries. Evan could feel his body trembling.  
“You needed to get it cut off anyway, why not now?”  
Ohm crowed over the rain, thunder booming in the distance as the puddles around Jon’s feet were stained dark crimson.

The gang watched in horror, shock rippling through their bodies as Jonathan’s broken wing was poorly cut from his back. Evan wasn’t sure when the cries had stopped, the Omega’s head hanging after he had fainted from the pain. There was a splash and a thud- the shattered wing falling limp on the crumbling ground.  
“There, all done for you Brock!”  
Ohm said cheerily when he looked up, his hoodie sleeves stained scarlet with blood the rain couldn’t wash off.

Evan blinked at the wing, his gaze flicking between it and the again unconscious Jonathan still tied to the chair. When he regained his voice he croaked out,  
“You’re a monster.”  
Ohm sliced the ropes off, and Jonathan fell limp out of the chair, his limbs pooling around him like he was already dead.  
“Don’t wish for something you don’t want,”  
Ohm snarled.

Evan swallowed, looking away from the gaping wound on Jonathan’s back to retain the bile that swamped his stomach.  
“ _Why?_ ”  
He hissed again, the tears that streaked his face hidden by the storm that threatened to drown them.

The tang of blood filled the air to the point of gagging even through the sheet of rain, however, all eyes were desperately pricked toward the dove-wing.  
“Why?”  
The Omega again played with the word, his chest heaving unevenly as his lips twisted into a cruel smile.  
“Why? You want to know _why_?!”  
The pistol was pulled from his pocket and pointed at Evan, Ohm’s eyes growing wide as his hand trembled.  
“It all started with vengeance. Vengeance that coward Felix could never commit to,”  
The barrel of the gun fell, a giggle brushing the breeze with its presence as Ohm seemed to be dragged back into his memories.  
“How did you think I found you so easily Evan? I tracked you and your pathetic gang until I could position myself to be that _poor, helpless Omega_.”  
Ohm’s voice grew dark.  
Twisted.  
Cruel.  
“I knew you would take me in. Especially after how I brought up my _tragic_ backstory of Felix getting killed by the Canaries. No, that pathetic excuse of a Beta tried to leave me and go elope with some robin-wing girl. I showed him. I showed him what happens when you cross me.”  
Ohm was slipping.  
Slipping from sanity and sinking into an unsavable land.  
“But then,”  
Ohm continued, lifting the gun to point it at Evan again.  
His finger played with the trigger.  
“Then you had to go and become the boss of your gang and save this buffoon with me.”  
The Omega’s hazel gaze flickered toward Luke, the gun following his eyes.  
“I loved you. I really did. I loved the smell of smoke and ash that reminded me of my parents taking me camping when I was really little. I loved your smile and how caring you were,”  
Tears were now steadily trailing down Ohm’s cheeks, his smile growing ever-wider as another flash tore through the sky, thunder crackling after it.  
“I loved you, until Evan stole my heart.”  
Ohm slowly turned to face the elk-horn again.  
“I was so mean to you, plotting ways to kill you and threatening you in every action, and in retaliation, you would send me kind smiles and chocolate. WHY?”  
Ohm was screaming now, pressing the barrel of the gun against Evan’s chest.  
“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I WAS FINALLY HAPPY WITH LUKE AND YOU HAD TO STEAL MY HEART FROM HIM. THIS IS YOUR FAULT, EVAN!”  
The dove-wing took a step back, gesturing toward the bloody and unmoving Jonathan that laid like a murdered angel on the concrete.  
“YOU are the reason they all died. YOU are the reason Jonathan will never have a better life. YOU are the only one to blame!”  
Ohm was trembling, rage and terror fighting a war of confidence in the Omega’s mind.  
“IF I KILL YOU, IT’LL FIX EVERYTHING,”  
Ohm cried, his eyes wide as saucers as his mind fumbled for explanations and solutions.  
“It’ll break my heart,”  
Ohm cooed, his head tilted as the gun cocked, pressing the pistol back into Evan’s chest.  
“But it’ll fix everything…”  
The genuine smile that pulled at the Omega’s lips was terrifying, unsettling even the most secure of people.

“Don’t fucking hurt him!”  
A new voice screamed, eyes flicking toward the other dove, his wings flared and eyes narrowed to daggers,  
“I was the one who found you. It’s my fault you were found out.”  
Ohm stared at Smitty for a moment, then slowly turned to point the pistol at him. His smile remained.  
“You’re right, it is your fault,”  
Ohm cooed, taking steps toward the white-winged dove,  
“I’ll kill you first, then Evan, maybe the rest of you too…”  
Ohm’s broken hazel eyes skimmed the group, most of them patting themselves down as if searching for a weapon. The Omega’s gaze turned back to Smitty, the gun pointed at his head,  
“But you’ll die first.”  
Smitty glared at the pistol, staring straight into death as another giggle flitted from Ohm.

A gunshot snapped through the area in time with another boom of thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3 (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	51. Chapter 50

Smitty had braced himself for the bullet, glaring at the Omega who had gone behind their backs and tried to kill his closest friend. He had seen the Omega squeeze the trigger, heard the crack of gunpowder, but felt nothing.  
Nothing but panic when John shoved him out of the way.

Smitty gasped when the Alpha was still standing, crimson blossoming from his chest. The antelope-horn glanced up at Smitty with a small smile before he collapsed.  
“John!”  
The white dove screamed, tearing holes in the knees of his pants as he slid toward his boyfriend. The antelope had a hand over the growing scarlet stain, the blood mixing with water and spreading it further.  
“No...no no nononono…”  
Smitty cooed over the rushing sound of rain, the water dripping into his eyes and blurring his vision further from the tears.  
“Smitt…”  
John croaked, lifting his hand to rub his thumb against the dove’s cheek.  
“Shut up John! I...We need to get you back to the base.”  
“Babe, you know we can’t.”  
Smitty stubbornly swallowed the lump in his throat, shaking his head and pressing his palm firmer against the bullet wound.  
“Shut up. Shut the _fuck_ up! You’re not dying on me!”  
“Jaren,”  
Smitty flinched at his real name, turning his dark gaze toward John’s as a sob trickled from his lips,  
“It’s okay. I saved you, that’s what- what we do in this family, right?”  
John coughed, blood splattering from his lips before vanishing under the heavy droplets.  
“ _Shut up_...”  
Smitty whimpered, rubbing the water from his eyes as he sniffled,  
“If- if you die on me I’ll fucking kill you.”  
John chuckled hoarsely, the laugh quick to turn into another cough as blood streamed from his mouth, painting his teeth crimson,  
“I expect a knife in hell.”  
Smitty let out another sob, pressing their lips together in a desperate attempt to- to- who fucking knows.  
John kissed back, their lips moulding together perfectly like they always did before the Alpha pulled back.  
“I love you…”  
He whispered, his green eyes locking onto Jaren’s.  
“I love you too…”  
Smitty whimpered as the hand that held his cheek fell slack.  
He sobbed harder, pressing his head against the antelope’s chest.  
Searching for a heartbeat he knew had ended.  
For breath he knew had stopped.  
For his love to return like it had so many times before.

All he got was silence.  
Silence from his boyfriend as the world around him stormed with vicious chaos.

***

Evan looked up from the couple to stare at Ohm, but the Omega was gone. He blinked, searching the surroundings for any sign of the dove, but there was nothing.  
All that remained was a silver feather- torn, as if ripped from its place in the wing. Like the Omega had been dragged off in a rush.  
Evan sent another look around, smelling the air for any trail of cinnamon and sugar to follow.  
He caught a trace of peanuts, the Alpha scent already fading but still making the elk bristle.  
Ohm was gone.  
Evan turned to look at Luke, the kudu glancing back at him before shaking his head and walking out of the alley.  
He didn’t go back to the base.

Smitty carried John back to one of the vans.  
Evan carried Jonathan.  
The cerulean wing was left where it had been dropped, blood still mixing with the heavy rain as a bloody puddle flooded the space around it.

The trip back to the base was silent except for Smitty’s suppressed sobs.  
When they entered the base, Tyler met them at the elevator, his grip tight on his crutches as he stared at the lifeless Alpha in the dove-wing’s arms and the limp jay in Evan’s.  
Both were brought to the med bay, and Brock immediately starting to clean and bandage the gaping hole in Jonathan’s back.  
John was laid peacefully on a bed, Smitty refusing to release his cold fingers.  
“I’ll call the Misfits,”  
Tyler told the dove solemnly, and Smitt only nodded an acknowledgment. 

Soon, Fitz and his crew were at the base, and they mourned with the BBS at the loss of John.  
Eventually though, Fitz mentioned the graveyard they already had from losing past members of their gang, and offered to take John to be buried there.  
Tyler was quick to agree that that would be the best place for the Alpha, and so his body and Smitty left with the smaller gang to prepare for his burial.  
Toby promised to invite them to his funeral that would be held once the skies and ground dried.

The base didn’t lose its gloomy viel as the sun began to peak from the dark clouds and the rain finally lightened to a faint sprinkle.  
The clouds that were once dark and foreboding were now dyed pink and gold, streaks of sunlight glinting off the city that had claimed another life.

Sleeping members of the BBS could be found sprinkled through the base as the adrenaline finally burned away.  
Evan was staring at more than eating the pizza that had been delivered for lunch when there was a call from downstairs,

“Jonathan’s awake!”  
The elk had perked up from his usually favorite food at Marcel’s voice, and he was quick to hurry down the stairs to the med bay. When he entered though, Jonathan was a whimpering mess and Brock was running a weary hand through his shaggy hair.  
“He won't stop crying for you or Smitty,”  
The eagle-wing called over the cries,  
“And since Smitt’s with Fitz…”  
“It’s fine, thank you,”  
Evan soothed, sending the exhausted eagle a grateful smile,  
“Go rest. If we need help I can get Craig.”  
Brock nodded, nearly tripping over his feet as he stumbled out of the room, most likely to hunt down his mate. Marcel was quick to follow the Omega out of the room, leaving the two alone.

Evan approached Jonathan, the jay quivering in the bed he had been moved to when the medic finished bandaging him. His single wing was wrapped tightly around the half of his body it could reach.  
“Hey Jon,”  
Evan cooed softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. Jonathan’s bright eyes flicked toward him, widening before he flung himself at the Alpha, wrapping his arms and wing as tight around the elk as he could muster.  
“Evan! I- he-”  
“Shh, you’re okay. It’s okay.”  
The Alpha hushed, running fingers through the tangles in the jay’s hair. Jon whimpered, what remained of his tears wetting Evan’s shoulder as he let out a broken sob.  
“I...I was so scared…”  
He managed to croak out, the sound making Evan’s heart break further.  
“I know, but you’re here now. You’re safe.”  
The Omega pulled away suddenly, staring at Evan with alarm flashing through his eyes as he quickly asked,  
“Is Smitty dead?”  
Evan shook his head, trailing his fingers delicately down the azure feathers that were still splayed around them,  
“Why?”  
“I-I heard… I heard Brock say…”  
“Smitty’s safe. He’s with the Misfits right now.”  
Jonathan blinked at the comment, pausing before tilting his head.  
“Why? Wh-what happened?”  
Evan swallowed, gritting his teeth before slowly saying,  
“Ohm...killed John. They’re mourning.”  
Jonathan deflated at the news, and if the jay hadn’t already cried all his tears Evan was sure they would’ve returned.  
“John’s dead? B-Because of me?”  
“What? No!”  
Evan corrected, careful of the Omega’s injured shoulder as he held him,  
“This is not your fault. Ohm did this on his own insanity.”  
“He told me it was my fault,”  
Jonathan muttered, his blue gaze distant as he was dragged back to an endless storm,  
“H-he said it was m-my fault I had t-to leave. L-leave or die. Leave or die…”  
The repeated phrase scared Evan more than he’d ever admit, and he lifted Jonathan’s chin to force the Omega to lock eyes with him,  
“Jonathan, this wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything.”  
“What did Ohm want you to tell me?”  
Evan blinked at the dismissal of his previous words, pausing to try and process the jay’s words before asking,  
“What?”  
“W-when he woke me up. He wanted you to confess something to me...what was it?”

_”So when are you going to confess?”_  
_The question was simple, curious as the two leaned against the counters in the kitchen. Brock had made a special breakfast to celebrate Jon’s arrival._  
_“What do you mean? The kid’s brand new and he’s probably terrified of me. If anything, when- no, if I tell him, he’ll just run away. I don’t want that.”_  
_The dove stared at Evan for a long moment, the elk unable to catch the emotions flashing in the gaze of his Second-in-Command Omega. The Omega’s question of what the elk thought of the jay-wing wasn’t the answer he had expected, that much was clear. They had talked for a while before Evan confessed to having a bit of a crush on the newbie._  
_Ohm dropped his gaze, nodding before he took a sip of some apple juice._  
_“I feel the same way.”_  
_Evan scoffed,_  
_“Really? I’m pretty sure Luke knows you like him.”_  
_Ohm only gave Evan a small smile before Brian brought out the Uno game._

“Evan?”  
The Alpha blinked from the memory, taking in the confusion and bit of worry that was beginning to cloud the jay’s sapphire eyes,  
“What is it?”  
Evan swallowed again, taking a deep breath before he asked quietly,  
“Remember when we were in your room, and you asked me who I wished would notice me?”  
Jonathan nodded slowly, and Evan let out a nervous giggle.  
“I- Ohm-”  
Evan scoffed shaking his head before cupping Jonathan’s face, the jay staring at him in surprise.  
“I love you. I- I have for a while now, but… but I didn’t realize it until Ohm had taken you. At first I thought I was just being overprotective because you were new, or I would get over your pretty face and we would just be friends- but I don’t want that. I-I can’t _handle_ that. You are strong and independent and brave and beautiful and one thousand times better of a person than I could ever be.”  
They stared there for a moment, breathing the same air and drowning in each other’s eyes.  
Blue and brown.  
Mocha and cerulean.

“That’s what Ohm wanted me to confess,”  
Evan breathed, hardly registering the flush that burned his own face and focusing on the Omega’s matching one.  
Jonathan bit his bottom lip and Evan’s eyes followed the movement, subconsciously copying it.  
The Omega surged forward, throwing his arms around Evan’s neck and pressing their lips together.  
Evan only froze for a heartbeat before he was kissing back, losing himself in the scent and _taste_ of Jonathan.  
It was certainly better than pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It means a lot that you take the time to read Cerulean Feathers!  
> <3


	52. Epilogue

It was a long couple months after that storm.  
John’s funeral was short and sweet.  
Black suits and solemn faces as the Alpha joined the ranks in the ground.  
Smitty stayed with the smaller gang for a few weeks, nearby to mourn his boyfriend before he moved back with the BBS. Craig eventually moved to stay with the Misfits, saying he prefered the raw action to the city. Nobody mentioned the tension between him and his ex mate.  
Lui took the pigeon’s room at the base, everyone agreeing it was too dangerous for him to go back to the Canaries. He did mention a friend had manage to make his own escape too.  
The last they heard of Luke, Lui’s friend had mentioned seeing him several cities away in a coffee shop near his college.

 

***

 

Waves crashed heavily on the shore.  
Seagulls let out piercing cries and pelicans dove expertly into the water.  
There were a few small families scattered across the sand, children attempting sand castles or digging holes to sit in. Couples strolled lazily past hand in hand, and dogs chased eagerly after frisbees.  
The pier had been cleared of rubble and bodies, but crimson still stained the wood and metal.  
The sun was partially hidden behind clouds, casting pearly light onto the glistening sea.  
It was like Mother Nature herself was giving her reward of enduring the past months.

Evan and Jonathan trailed the sea foam, fingers laced together and smiles small on lips. Evan ran a hand through his hair, cringing at the oily feeling of salt in the strands as the heavy breezes carried the small particles.   
The skies were finally clear from the week-long rainstorm, and Evan enjoyed smelling winds that didn’t remind him of now-lost friends.   
Instead, the ocean scent that was too familiar of the gang boss brought comfort, and the crashing of white-tipped tides distracted his ears from the imagined cracks of gunshot and cries of pain. 

“Evan? You okay?”  
The Alpha blinked from his daze, glancing at his mate with a smile.  
“Yeah, I’m fine Jon.”  
“Okay,”  
The Omega was quiet for a moment before he asked,  
“You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?”  
Evan chuckled, giving Jonathan’s hand a squeeze before pressing a soft kiss to his temple.  
“Of course I would.”  
“Mkay.”  
Jonathan brightened after that, and Evan had never felt more at peace.  
Seeing Jonathan smile so genuinely, after so many nights of watching him break down and sob from nightmare after nightmare of knives and gunmetal,  
It was soothing.

Jonathan pointed at the little sandpipers that prodded the sand, and Evan picked up seashells and compared their beauty to the blue jay beside him.  
Gentle kisses pressed against fingers and temples.  
Blushes that darkened in the setting golden light.  
Giggles that bounced along the shore as they hurried back to the truck.  
Cerulean feathers were softly tucked under blankets as the moon coated the city in silver.

 

_~Fin~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for enduring this story with me!  
> It means so much that people took their time to read CF, and you have all been very kind.  
> I hope to write more that you will all enjoy, but if Cerulean Feathers is the only story of mine you read, then thank you for your support. <3
> 
>  
> 
> If you would like to talk to me and others about stories you are writing, reading, or just everyday life, then join my Discord! (https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Thank you all so much for reading Cerulean Feathers! <3 <3  
> ~Echo


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